Inuvember 2019
by PurdyBaby
Summary: It's that time again when writers spend countless hours sweating over a keyboard. It's something as traditional as pumpkin pie. Okay, to be fair, more like pumpkin spice lattes and probably just as hyped up/mediocre BUT BY GOD, I'm doing it. Rated M because I curse like a sailor.
1. Calendar

_**A/N: I have a two month old baby so I may not post on the day but I will finish this as I did in 2017 and 2018 dammit.**_

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**Inuvember 2019**

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**_Friday, November 1st, 2019: Inuyasha Co_**

_**Saturday, November 2nd, 2019: Inuyasha Co**_

_**Sunday, November 3rd, 2019: Inuyasha Co**_

**_Monday, November 4th, 2019: Inuyasha Family_**

**_Tuesday, November 5th, 2019: Hanyou_**

_**Wednesday, November 6th, 2019: Children**_

_**Thursday, November 7th, 2019: Miko**_

**_Friday, November 8th, 2019: Wolf Demon Tribe_**

_**Saturday, November 9th, 2019: Naraku Co**_

**_Sunday, November 10th, 2019: Free Day_**

_**Monday, November 11th, 2019: InuKag**_

_**Tuesday, November 12th, 2019: MirSan**_

**_Wednesday, November 13th, 2019: Sesshomaru Ships_**

**_Thursday, November 14th, 2019: Kikyo Ships_**

**_Friday, November 15th, 2019: Koga Ships_**

**_Saturday, November 16th, 2019: Any Ship_**

**_Sunday, November 17th, 2019: Free Day_**

**_Monday, November 18th, 2019: New Experience_**

_**Tuesday, November 19th, 2019: LGBTQ**_

_**Wednesday, November 20th, 2019: Friendship**_

_**Thursday, November 21st, 2019: Memories**_

_**Friday, November 22nd, 2019: Day After Tomorrow**_

**_Saturday, November 23rd, 2019: AU_**

**_Sunday, November 24th, 2019: Myth/Legend AU_**

_**Monday, November 25th, 2019: Horror/Zombie AU**_

_**Tuesday, November 26th, 2019: Soulmate AU**_

_**Wednesday, November 27th, 2019: Disney AU**_

_**Thursday, November 28th, 2019: Modern AU**_

_**Friday, November 29th, 2019 and Saturday, November 30th, 2019: Selfies**_


	2. Friday, November 1st

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**Friday, November 1st, 2019**

**Inuyasha & Co**

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It started off a normal enough evening. Earlier the rag tag group of misfits managed to slay a ferocious - well ferocious in the _villager's_ opinion anyway - demon and had been rewarded with room and board for the evening. It was their chance to meditate and not focus on the many, many obstacles in their way. Kagome and Sango immediately took advantage of the secluded hot spring the village inn hosted while the boys took advantage of the feast that had been brought to their rooms. Despite the luxury the village inn had to offer the weary travelers, Miroku felt something additional was needed and went on a search to find this elusive missing piece. By the time he returned, the girls were fully clothed once more and what food had been left by the menfolk had been scarfed down with great enthusiasm.

Holding his prize above his head like it was a holy relic, Miroku grinned wickedly before announcing redundantly what it was - even though the bottle itself made the proclamation quite unnecessary.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have obtained _sake_," Miroku enthused happily as he lowered the jug into his arms and cradled it like a newborn babe, "Lady Kagome, I believe you have cups we could use on this momentous occasion?"

"You're expecting us to finish that entire thing tonight aren't you?" Sango asked suspiciously before sighing and rolling her eyes, "You do remember the last time we all drank a little too much sake?"

"Of course," Miroku replied innocently, "I do believe Lady Kagome demonstrated her singing abilities while you attempted to elope with Inuyasha."

Blushing furiously, the slayer cringed and glanced anxiously at her miko friend who seemed nonplussed by the conversation.

"Miroku, we have to get up early tomorrow," Kagome sighed in defeat, "We can't risk getting a hangover or something when there might be a battle looming on the horizon. Besides, Shippo is too young to drink that stuff."

"_Exactly_," Inuyasha finally chimed in before snorting indignantly, "Besides, half-demons don't get drunk. Believe me. I've _tried_."

"Ah, you say that but I seem to remember you becoming quite intoxicated by falling into a barrel when we were repairing Sango's weapon," Miroku crooned as he took the liberty of retrieving the cups from Kagome's backpack himself since the miko had failed to move, "This may not be the same quality as that fine elixir but I imagine it is quite possible for a half-demon to drink himself into a stupor."

"Remind me, why would we want to get blackout drunk?" Kagome interjected with a slight blush as she avoided direct eye contact with her friends, "It seems like a bad idea."

"I've set up sutras around the village so we will be completely undisturbed until such time as we are ready to move on," Miroku hummed thoughtfully as he began pouring generous amounts of sake into each cup, "Besides, who knows what tomorrow will bring. We might as well enjoy life."

"I'm pretty sure we all got a different idea of what enjoying life looks like," Inuyasha snorted even as he begrudgingly accepted the full cup and downed it in one gulp, "See. Didn't even phase me."

"Then have another," Miroku clipped back in a slightly agitated tone. His gift he managed to obtain not having the effect he had hoped it would and he was beginning to feel more than a little put out, "There is a little game I would like to play. A drinking game if you will."

"I can't play because I can't drink," Shippo pouted as he folded his arms across his chest, "That's no fun."

"I'm certain Lady Kagome has some pocky that would be a suitable substitute," Miroku huffed as he cast a glance at the miko, "Is that not so?"

"I mean...yeah I _guess_," Kagome sighed as she crawled towards her backpack and began riffling through it, "I've got strawberry and cookies n' cream. Which do you want Shippo?"

"Strawberry," the kit cooed excitedly as he rushed over and held out his hands expectantly before adding in a softer tone, "I bet Miroku is just hoping Sango tries to elope with _him_."

"Probably," the miko whispered back in an amused tone as she deposited the pocky box into his outstretched hand, "I just hope we don't regret this in the morning."

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"Is everyone familiar with the game Kiku No Hana?" Miroku chirped happily - in a much better mood now that everyone was going along with his plan, "Ah...so I'll take that as a no then. Alright, the rules are quite simple. There shall be four cups. One for each of us. I shall place a coin beneath one of the cups and each one of you must guess which cup has the coin beneath it."

"That's stupid. We'll all see where you put the coin," Inuyasha snorted as he quickly downed his third cup of sake and held it out so it could be refilled, "Besides, how is that supposed to get anyone drunk?"

"Shippo shall shuffle the cups while the rest of us close our eyes. One person guesses. If they guess incorrectly, they must drink the remaining cups and the game begins anew," Miroku replied with a simple shrug, "For each wrong guess, Shippo may eat a pockystick as well."

"Still think its stupid. Shippo isn't exactly stealthy. Bet he'll give it away," Inuyasha countered as he aimed a wicked grin at the young kit, "Don't think you're getting to eat all that pocky tonight brat."

"Inu_yasha_," Kagome groaned as she gave him a withering stare, "Would it kill you to go ten minutes without insulting someone?"

"_Maybe_" Inuyasha scoffed sarcastically before rolling his eyes and sighing, "So we doing this or not?"

"If Shippo will do the honors," Miroku hummed as he gestured towards the four cups he'd arranged on the ground and presented the young kit with a coin which was greedily accepted, "Now everyone close your eyes. Anyone caught cheating will forfeit their turn and drink their fair share."

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It was quickly and painfully discovered that (a) everyone present was terrible at guessing accurately, (b) that Shippo indeed could be quite stealthy when he put his mind to it and (c) while half-demons couldn't get _wasted_, they _could_ get tipsy enough to impair their senses. Shippo had already managed to go through the box of strawberry pocky and was now working on the cookies n' cream variety.

"Innit supposed to be this one? Can't even smell it," InuYasha slurred bemusedly as he groggily laid his head on Kagome's precariously perched one atop his shoulder, "I bet you ain't even putting the coin under any of 'em."

"Am too! And that's cheating to find it by smell anyway," Shippo protested defensively as he folded his arms across his chest, "Not my fault you guys are so bad at this!"

"Nah nah I ain't buying it. You're cheating," InuYasha snorted as he waved one hand in the general direction of the cups, "You've had your fun and...and..."

The hanyou trailed out with a shaky sigh as a mostly unconcious Kagome's hand wormed its way into the confines of his fire rat robe and began absently stroking his chest. Staring dumbly down at the invading appendage, InuYasha's breath began coming out in soft pants when Kagome suddenly rearranged herself down onto his lap so her face was now facing a rather sensitive part of his anatomy he wasn't ready to have her touch..._yet_.

"Oí! Get off!" InuYasha finally barked after severa awkward moments before he gently yet forcibly pushed the drunken Kagome off his lap and began scurrying backwards to put some distance between them - much to the surprise and amusement of the monk and confusion of the slayer.

"Sup?" Sango slurred - her chin resting on the palm of her hand as she blinked sluggishly at the scene unfolding, "What'd I miss?"

"Our friend appears to have a prudish streak," Miroku snickered before sighing when Sango merely stared dumbly and furrowed her brow. It took only a few moments for the monk to realize that everyone was rather past their limit which was notably lower than his own and so with a resigned sigh, he added,"Well perhaps it's time to sleep?"

"'Kay," Sango sighed as she stiffly began sprawling out on the floorboards and curled up into a small ball, "Night."

"Sango that _cannot_ be comfortable," Miroku snorted as he sent her an affectionate grin and brushed some of the hair out of her eyes, "At least let me help you to a futon. I promise to do nothing untoward."

"Fine here," Sango mumbled before she let out a long sigh and began to lightly snore - missing the look of complete abject adoration the monk had on his face while she went to dream land. Miroku had just laid down on one of the futons when a sudden voice pulled him from his quasi-slumber.

"I ain't a prude by the way," InuYasha finally announced defensively from his place in the corner, "Just ain't right when she's all...ya know three sheets to the wind."

"So you do hold some attraction to her?" Miroku mumbled from the futon as his lips curled upwards, "Perhaps you should tell her and the situation today may repeat itself."

"I ain't a perv like you either," InuYasha snapped before glancing at Kagome and sighing, "And it ain't right to tell her when Kikyo and Naraku are still out there. Ya know what I mean? They've already used you guys to get the jewel. It'd make her more of a target. I'll tell her when the time is right and then it'll be good. She'll be safe."

"You're might talkative for someone who swears he cannot become intoxicated," Miroku chuckled lightly as he gave his friend a sympathetic grin, "Although I'll admit you do seem surprisingly immune to the effect on the whole."

"Whatever," InuYasha muttered as a blush stained his cheeks, "Just telling' you how it is, s'all."

"She's going to wake up with a crick in her neck. Probably sore," Miroku hummed in a somewhat thoughtful manner, "You should help her to her futon. Surely you can do that."

"Stop nagging. Was already gunna move her," InuYasha clipped back defensively. However, as he moved and cradled her body against his own he found it almost impossible to set her down again. He settled on laying down beside her...his arms pulling her tightly against him as he too succumbed to the sake. So it was the next morning that the occupants of the inn were harshly woke by a shrill scream and a female voice screaming _'pervert'_.


	3. Saturday, November 2nd

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**Saturday, November 2nd, 2019**

**Inuyasha Co**

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"'_If only, if only_,' the woodpecker sighs, '_The bark on the trees was as soft as the skies_.' As the wolf waits below, hungry and lonely, He cries to the moon '_if only, if only'_" Kagome murmured softly to herself – thankful that – for once – she actually excelled at a class. English had always been the one language course she'd done better in than her peers. Even with her prolonged absences and thus, marked lack of opportunities to practice, she still managed to keep her grades up.

They'd been given the book "Holes" as part of her assignment. A blunt title for a book about troubled teens sent to the dessert to _literally_ dig holes. A boy whose family was cursed and nothing good ever happened to them. It turns out alright by the end but the _problem_ was she needed to present a _typed_ book report – which would have been _so_ much easier if Inuyasha let her stay – about relating how this stupid "If Only" song could apply to their lives. She'd read those lines a million times and _still_ couldn't come up with any ideas. Could you even _call_ it writer's block if you _sucked_ at writing in the first place?

"I can't tell if you're possessed. Speaking in tongues _usually_ isn't a good sign," Inuyasha teased as he dropped down beside her and looked over her shoulder, "What you reading?"

"You wouldn't get it," Kagome sighed as she raised the book so he could inspect it. He took it in his hands and frowned for a moment before peeking at the brilliant red and blue cover. His brow was furrowed in such concentration that Kagome was worried he'd might short circuit.

"It's in a language called English," Kagome finally giggled as she saw him swore inaudibly under his breath.

"Doesn't mean I _can't_ get it," Inuyasha countered as he plopped down next to her and glared at the pages, "I'm not _stupid_."

"I know you're not stupid," Kagome soothed as she pried the book gently out of his clawed hands, "Learning another language is hard. You only speak the one."

"I _know_ other languages," Inuyasha huffed as he sent the surprised looking girl a condescending look, "What? You think I grew up in a palace and _wasn't_ forced to learn the languages of trade? Give me a break. "

"Wait, _what_?" Kagome blurted out as she stared at the blushing hanyou who was now actively averting his eyes, "So…so what do you speak?"

"I dunno. Don't really remember how to speak them anymore. S'been years," InuYasha admitted as his cheeks blossomed into a deeper shade of crimson and he idly scratched his nose, "After mother…after mother died, my grandfather thought I needed a way to provide for myself after he was gone. No one'd be left to care for me, ya know? I mean, he knew that they'd kick me out eventually. Told me that it'd be so a rival clan could take over since I would still be young. Which, of _course_, was bullshit. Would've been better if he'd just straight up told me the _truth_. But I grew up thinking I could be a merchant or something. I thought _that's_ what I'd be doing."

"I don't know that you have the right personality for sales," Kagome offered tentatively - making him frown as he sent her a side eyed glare before she added, "I don't either. Have to admit, though, I wish I knew lots of languages."

"Not like I ever got to use them," Inuyasha snorted , "Don't even remember what they're called to be honest. I can recognize them but…"

"You'll have to point out if you recognize anything next time we're in my era," Kagome cooed as she moved closer and leaned against his shoulder – the book all but forgotten at her side, "I thought you only had your mother. I never realized..."

"No. He cared. Wanted me to...to eventually make something of myself. Didn't care what I was. That's the only reason my mother got any protection and wasn't cast out immediately. Grandmother I don't even remember. She died just after I was born," Inuyasha coughed lightly – strangely calm about spilling these secrets he'd kept inside to the girl who'd wormed her way into his life, "But yeah, that's...that's why I think studying is a waste of time. I spent hours learnin' and I still got nothing to show for it. Don't even have a place..."

"That's not true," Kagome cut him off softly as she rubbed her cheek against the firerat, "Your place is with us."

Smiling slightly, Inuyasha wrapped one arm around Kagome and pulled her a little closer. She was grinning as well for so many reasons. One of the least important was an idea for her book report_. 'If only'_ she never fell into the well, she'd be in school right now. Her grades would be doing well. She'd be looking at colleges and probably dating Hojo. She'd never have to know what looking death in the face was like. Never have to fight or kill or anything. It was a thought that occurred to her time and time again. When things looked bleak. When he broke her heart. But then there were moments like this, when he finally let his walls down, that she wished to be by his side forever. Sometimes you can wish for things you have no power to change and miss what you have. She'd take whatever she could get and hope it'd last forever. If only. If only.


	4. Sunday, November 3rd

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**Sunday, November 3rd, 2019**

**Inuyasha Co**

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"I'm not suggesting you forget her," Miroku reassured his friend who was glaring at him like he'd just committed the ultimate betrayal, "I'm suggesting you allow yourself to be _happy_. This is the third winter since Kagome returned to her world. You know as well as I that if she could return she would have by now. She isn't coming back."

"She might," Inuysha argued in a small voice - earning a sympathetic grimace from the monk, "She might come back one day. Or I could get to her."

"I hope to never see you again if the well does work one day," the monk laughed softly, "It would mean you found her again."

He paused.

"But..." Miroku added as he cleared his throat, "I also worry that you will never be reunited. You deserve _happiness_, my friend. You may need to _consider_..."

"I've heard everything said before the word '_but_' is bullshit," InuYasha cut him off harshly as he gave the monk a scathing glare, "Did Sango put you up to this?"

"We're _worried_ about you," Miroku answered evasively as he sighed and stared morosely at the well from their place underneath the Sacred Tree, "And Hana has expressed interest to Sango. She is..."

"_Not_ Kagome," InuYasha interrupted hotly as he moved his arms a little closer to his chest, "She'll come back one day. You'll see."

"And what if she _doesn't_?" Miroku asked quietly as he gave his friend an imploring look, "We know you still visit the well every three days. It's been three years, InuYasha. Kagome isn't coming back."

"She'll come back," InuYasha replied with an exasperated sigh, "You guys act like...like..."

"We've _all_ grieved the loss of Kagome," Miroku interrupted, "We've all come to terms with it. We miss her dearly and _always_ will. Without her, it is highly likely that I would have died. That Shippo would have died. Sango...Sango would've died. You would still be sealed to that tree. We owe her our lives because Kagome gave it back to us. _No one_ will ever replace her. But..."

"Again, everything before '_but_' is..." InuYasha began snarkily before the monk sighed heavily and continued.

"We also owe our lives to _you_," Miroku continued softly, "We want you to live a long and happy life and you _aren't_ living. You're stuck in place instead of moving forward. Don't you _want_ a family? To find love?"

"I _have_ found love," InuYasha spat as he moved to get to his feet only to pause when Miroku grabbed his sleeve.

"Just think about it," Miroku pleaded, "If by next winter she hasn't returned, _please_ consider trying to find love again. Life has been unkind to you. We know it has. Allow yourself to find happiness for _once_ instead of only heartache."

"She'll come back," InuYasha muttered more to himself than the monk, "You'll see. She'll come back before then."

"Just consider it," Miroku repeated sadly as he released InuYasha and watched as the hanyou once again headed for the well and jumped in. Again. And again. And again. Looking a little more defeated each time. It hurt to watch this ritual. Hurt to see his friend eventually lean against the edge of the well and beg softly for her to come back. Pride thrown to the wind as he pleaded for the girl who couldn't hear him to return. Like a man dying of thirst.

Eventually InuYasha would get up and cast a longing glance at the well before taking off into the trees. He'd come to their hut for dinner and to play with the twins who loved their uncle so very much. Sango often said InuYasha would be a wonderful father. He was always so gentle with their babies. Had never growled at them or raised his voice. Even when they tugged at his ears and made him grimace in pain. But as the twins got older even _they_ noticed how every three days InuYasha's smile would be forced. His amber eyes haunted instead of shining with their usual affection. The twins didn't understand and assumed it was something _they_ did to upset him. They'd been asking questions.

Miroku sent up a silent prayer that Kagome _would _return by next winter. His friend wouldn't allow himself to move on until she did.


	5. Monday, November 4th

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**Monday, November 4th, 2019**

**Inuyasha Family**

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A silver haired teenager watched from a distance as her father once again visited the well. His ears dropping as he knelt down beside it and rested his chin atop the rim. He wasn't the type of man who normally shed tears but while she couldn't see them, the scent of _his_ always stung her nose. He'd told her once - after she cried when she'd scraped her knee - that the only reason anyone should cry is when someone died.

Even ten years later, he still allowed himself to cry for her. He could've asked Uncle to bring her back. Even for a short while. But he'd said that he couldn't stand losing her twice. Once was hard enough.

Truth be told, Ayumi hoped she never fell in love with a human. Their lives so comparatively short. Her brother, Sota, had married a human girl in a neighboring village. They were expecting their first child in the fall. The grandchild mother would never get to meet. If it was a girl, Sota confessed he wanted to name her after mother but Ayumi had advised against it. Father could barely handle hearing _her_ name spoken after all.

Yes, these past ten years had changed him. She'd first noticed the change after the monk had died. She had still been small then but old enough to notice how her father began staying especially close to mother after that. He rarely left the village. Rarely left her side. Clearly wanting to spend every moment with her. Knowing that any day she could be gone where he couldn't follow. Thank god the slayer had survived mother. At least for a little while. Without Aunt Sango father probably would've...

No. He never would've abandoned his children like that. Like his mother had done to him.

Father eventually got up and wandered back to the village. Nodding once to his daughter as he passed by. It was difficult knowing he was hurting. He so rarely showed he was in pain.

Walking up to the well, Ayumi ran her clawed fingertip across the aged wood. She hadn't visited the well since mother had passed away. It hurt to be reminded of her smiling face. Why was it that hanyou aged so slowly? Ayumi had barely looked twelve in human years when mother left this world. For so many reasons, she silently wished mother had lived. Most importantly, Father wasn't himself without her and his daughter desperately missed the man he used to be.

The trek back to the village seemed impossibly long. Tonight was going to be _especially_ painful. Sota was coming to announce the names him and his wife had chosen for their child. One for a boy. One for a girl.

_'I swear to god if he says mom's name I'm gunna deck him,_' Ayumi thought bitterly as she passed by the shrine steps and entered her own hut located by her father's.

Later that night she did just that.

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Waking with a startled gasp, a prepubescent little girl with stark white hair sat bolt up right - her little heart racing at a mile per second as she whipped tiny amber eyes towards her parents a short distance away.

With a shaky sigh of relief, she crawled out of her bed and tentatively made her way towards them - her father's groggy eyes already watching her with a resigned smile on his face.

"Hey," he whispered softly as his baby girl sniffled once before holding her arms out to signal she needed a hug. Effortlessly sitting up, he yawned and gathered her against him before laying back down and holding her atop his chest. Rubbing his hand across her back, he frowned at the scent of her tears. She'd been having nightmares ever since Kaede died a few months ago. Nightmares that he'd died. That Kagome died. That Sango. Miroku. The twins. Shippo...well you get the idea.

"What's wrong?" he finally whispered as Kagome began to stir next to him. Knowing and dreading the question he knew was coming.

"Is...is Mama going to die?" Ayumi whispered hoarsely as a fresh onslaught of tears cascaded down her little cheek.

"No baby," he sighed. He'd learned the hard way - and regretted - telling her the first time this happened that everyone dies eventually. That had been the _wrong_ thing to say in this situation and he'd paid for that dearly for at least a month.

"She's...shes human though," his daughter whimpered as her tiny claws dug into the white sleeping garment he donned.

"Your mom is gunna live as long as me. She's not completely human anymore," InuYasha immediately answered - knowing that's what she needed to hear from experience. It was true after all. They'd performed all the rituals. Done all the things. Totosai even confirmed it had worked. So long as InuYasha lived Kagome would also. He also knew his daughter had a very vivid imagination and was always coming up with worst case scenarios. Ever more creative and detailed ways everyone might die. How everyone would handle the different deaths. Usually when she dreamed her mother died - usually from something as simple as old age - her dreams revolved around him moping around and refusing to move on. Ignoring his kids and spending all his time by the well. Sometimes he killed himself - although that type of disturbing ass dream had stopped after a long, _long_ talk and admittance about how his own mother had died. If Kagome did die that way - from old age after a hopefully long life together - that _is_ probably what he'd do. Not kill himself. He'd never do that to his children. But, yeah, if he was being honest, he'd probably would never recover if that scenario had come to pass. Ayumi wasn't _wrong_ about the likelihood of him being depressed if that was the way his life had gone but luckily that wasn't a scenario that could happen.

"But what if you die?" Ayumi asked - seeming to calm down a little.

"I'm not gunna die anytime soon," InuYasha replied without skipping a beat as he squeezed her tiny frame against his chest lightly, "Not until I'm old and wrinkled and gross."

That usually worked, he'd found - through painful trial and error. Her fear seemed to be that they'd die _soon_.

"You're _already_ old," Ayumi pointed out with yet another sniffle making InuYasha cringe.

'_You little..._' he thought. His kids just _loved_ killing his ego.

"I'm a half-demon like you," he sighed as he lolled his head toward Kagome and rolled his eyes. He gave Kagome a somewhat exasperated look and mouthed silently '_it was you this time_.' Kagome sighed sadly and reached up to rub her daughter's little puppy ear affectionately.

"We're going to live for centuries, okay? We're not going anywhere," InuYasha soothed as he rubbed his hand up and down her back. This _conversation _was the one getting _old_.

"Promise?" the little girl whispered as she hiccuped but otherwise seemed to settle.

"Promise," he replied softly. For a moment, he listened as her sniffles lessened and she finally relaxed into a restless sleep. Letting out a long sigh, he closed his eyes and was about to fall asleep when...

"I want cuddles _too_," he heard his son whine - making the poor older hanyou cringe and rap the back of his head lightly a few times.

'_Dammit_,' he swore silently before he heard Kagome sigh and felt her roll over to accept the little boy, '_We just need a bigger futon so the brats can just roll over and find us without waking us up. I'm so damn tired and I've got an exorcism tomorrow__.'_

_"We need a bigger futon," _Inuyasha whispered to his wife after he was sure both kids were sound asleep. He felt her shake her head.

"_What we need is a therapist_," he heard Kagome groan softly - causing him to chuckle once. Ah yes, he knew what that was. It wasn't the first time she'd said that.

"_Maybe Miroku would be willing to give it a go,"_InuYasha suggested as he awkwardly rolled over - careful not to disturb his daughter. With his arm now free he loosely draped it across the miko's waist - essentially sandwiching their daughter between them.

"_Maybe_," Kagome sighed before he felt her also relax. Her light snores soon drifting into his ears.

If ever he wished they were in Kagome's time, it was now. At least there they'd be able to find a professional and finally get some god damn sleep.


	6. Tuesday, November 5th

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**Tuesday, November 5th, 2019**

**Hanyou**

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"Just remember when they call you names...it isn't because they hate you," his mother crooned as she stoked his son's silver hair and wiped away the tears from his eyes, "It's just...well, you're different. My beautiful boy, when will you realize that being normal isn't necessarily a virtue? It's what makes you special. It's what sets you apart. Makes you _better_ than everyone else."

She avoided calling him a half-demon if she could help it. It was only a few weeks ago that those...those monsters had played their little trick on him. She'd cried and made the whole situation that much worse. It wasn't until that night that she'd realized how much it hurt him. For the first time ever, she'd seen what he was capable of - truly capable of. His eyes glowed red. Stripes appeared on those tiny round cheeks and...and he didn't know her. Not really. He didn't try to hurt her. Just tore up their old quarters beyond recognition and snarled all night long. Then randomly and out of the blue he'd launched at her - nearly scaring her to death and clung to her like his little life depended on it. Accidentally puncturing her with his claws - mere flesh wounds - whimpering until he'd fallen asleep. The next morning when he opened clear amber eyes and saw what he'd done he screamed and bawled like someone had just tried to kill him. He was _terrified _and she was afraid for him.

He'd been quiet and nervous ever since. Going out of his way to be submissive and polite. He apologized for every little thing. It broke her heart one morning when he apologized for being born. He was much too young to hurt so very much and she couldn't protect him like she so desperately wanted to. He had just started being himself again when these little...these little...

Oh if she could get away with it, she'd kill them herself. She'd make them suffer. Preferably stretched out over the course of weeks and using many, _many_ sharp implements.

"I..don't...want...to...be..._different_," the tiny half-demon managed to admit in between great heaving sobs - his burned cheek throbbing painfully. The other children had found a sutra and used it to attack him. They hadn't had the spiritual ability to make the blow fatal but the sutra on its own was enough to leave a nasty mark. For a moment, he'd thought they'd finally accepted him. It had been the happiest he'd ever felt when they invited him to play with them. He had been so elated that he didn't care they'd gone to a part of the fortress where the grown ups couldn't see. That they hadn't brought the ball with them. He thought...

"It's okay to be different," his mother soothed as she continued stroking his hair and cuddled him closer, "One day you'll find people who will love you for your differences. You are a kind boy, InuYasha. You'll be a good man. These children? All they'll ever be is cruel. Their actions today will only make you stronger in the long run. You'll see."

"Why don't they like me?" the little boy sniffled as he buried his bright red nose into his mother's kimono, "I...I didn't do anything to them. I _promise_."

"I know baby," his mother sighed, "I know you didn't."

"So why..." he little voiced cracked as more fat tears rolled down his cheek.

"People fear what they don't understand," his mother began tenatively, "They didn't understand how your father and I loved each other so much. They don't understand because that type of love was so true, so pure that most people aren't capable of understanding. So they fear it rather than accepting their own shortcomings."

"So they're afraid of me?" the little boy asked miserably as another round of sobs broke free and he clung to his mother, "I didn't do anything. I didn't hurt them. I'm not scary. I try really, _really_ hard not to hurt anyone. I'm not scary. I'm not."

"You're not scary," his mother tried to soothe even as she cringed. That was probably the wrong thing to say. She didn't mean to insinuate everyone was afraid of him. Even if it was probably true. Especially after word got around. Highly _exaggerated_ words. He'd just destroyed some objects. They were replaceable. It wasn't like he'd hurt anyone. He was the one who got hurt and his young mind couldn't handle it.

"What happened?" a worried older woman's voice asked softly as the screen door slid open and closed behind the newcomer.

"Some of the children attacked him," he heard his mother explain somewhat bitterly - which surprised him. He'd never heard her use that tone before. The older woman came closer and knelt beside them before scooping him into his arms.

"You listen to me," his grandmother ordered gently as she cupped his chin and forced him to look at her, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. You pay them no mind. Never bend your head. Always hold it high."

"But..." he protested hoarsely before his grandmother cut him off.

"You are the son of a powerful daiyoukai," his grandmother cut him off as she cast her daughter a pointed, meaningful glance, "The heir apparent to a powerful, distinguished house. Little lord, you are different than the others because you are _better_ than them. More _distinguished_ than anyone else. More _powerful_. Tell me, is that so bad?"

"N...no," he sniffled. A single fang visible as he bit his lip to stop it from trembling.

"One day men will look to you for guidance. Their gaze will be filled with nothing but respect," his grandmother continued, "Who knows. Maybe one day you'll save the world and become the best little lord of them all."

Feeling slightly better, he raised his tiny arms and snuggled into his grandmother chest. He believed her words and his mothers' for a few more years. Until they both passed away from an illness that swept through. Everyone blamed him. Claimed he was the reason the palace had seemingly been cursed. They cast him out with such cruelty and violence that they broke his spirit. It was clear his mother had been lying to him when she said they didn't hate him. Of course, they hated him. They'd always hated him for the simple crime of existing.

Still, he kept those words spoken so long ago in his heart even when times were bleak. He never did bend his head or kowtow to anyone to a borderline obnoxious degree. Stubborn, bull headed and unwilling to listen to the opinion of anyone but himself. Anyone who didn't get _that_ memo suffered the consequences. The hundreds of beings he'd encountered who hated him made him bitter, yes, but they failed to make him _cruel_. He wouldn't stoop to their level. He prided himself on being better than them because in so many ways, he _was. _And yet as time went by, he found himself wishing to be '_normal_' once more. He was growing tired of a life that offered him nothing but pain and isolation.

It took over a century and a special little miko to repair what those callous men had inflicted on a naturally soft hearted soul. It helped that he saved the world. Not that everyone got _that_ memo either.

"Always hold your head high," he told his sniffling half-demon daughter as she whimpered and clung to his chest. Some random traveler had tried to attack her for the crime of existing on the outskirts of the village while he was away on an exorcism and Kagome away trying to help some sick children at a nearby village. Thank god some villagers had intervened. He would've killed the bastard.

"Never bend it for anyone," he continued as he gathered her and held her tightly to his chest, "You are the daughter of a powerful miko and come from a long, distinguished line of..."


	7. Wednesday, November 6th

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**Wednesday, November 6th, 2019**

**Children**

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"Daddy?" a young ebony haired little girl inquired tentatively, "Can we get a cat?"

"You're brother is allergic to cats so _no_," InuYasha sighed heavily - somewhat disappointed himself. He'd always found immense enjoyment in the feline species. This had all started a few weeks ago when they'd gone to the marketplace in the neighboring village and she'd been exposed to the wonders of the many, _many_ cats that wandered through the streets. Her brother had also been interested until his eyes turned red and extremely itchy hives broke out all over his skin. Kagome finally resorted to wasting perfectly good rice to see if it was comparable to '_oatmeal_'. Which, thank god, it was and the redness slowly faded away after soaking in the rice water bath Kagome had drawn. They'd gone back to the market to see whether there were any grains just in case and wouldn't you know it, little bastard broke out in hives again after his sister presented him with a cat she wanted to convince her parents to bring home. Of course, the girl didn't want a _demon_ cat. Of course not. Those her brother _wasn't_ allergic to. It was just regular, run of the mill cats she wanted. The bastards that caused all their rice of be wasted. _So_ much rice wasted.

"Thats not the _cat's_ fault," the little girl whined as she moved to block her father's way, "And he got _better_."

"We're not getting a cat and that's final," InuYasha chided as he gently pushed the disappointed little girl aside and continued to head back towards the rice paddies where the women were waiting for him to carry back a few barrels.

His daughter walked next to him in silence for a while before she cleared her tiny throat and tried a different approach.

"Daddy?" she asked quietly to which he hummed to indicate he was listening, "If we got rid of brother, we could get a cat, right?"

"Ah, _no,_" InuYasha replied firmly - barely repressing the snort that desperately wanted to break free, "He's the only brother you got and you ain't getting rid of him for a stupid cat."

"What if I just _trade_ him for a _different_ brother at the market?" the little girl asked then as her pout intensified, "_Then_ could we get a cat?"

"You can't trade in your little brother," InuYasha sighed as one eye twitched and he sent his daughter a side eyed glare, "And we're _not_ getting a cat."

Again, she went silent and moved to take a few of his fingers in her tiny hand.

"Daddy?" she began again and InuYasha sighed.

"What?" he asked in a resigned tone. This was going to be about the damn theoretical cat. He knew it was. She was a determined little shit.

"How old are you?" she inquired innocently. InuYasha couldn't help but be glad she'd moved on and accepted '_no_' for an answer.

"I'm...uh, maybe...I'm not sure," he admitted as he furrowed his brow as though trying to calculate an estimate," Around a hundred and sixty I think."

"So you're _old_ then," she concluded bluntly - making InuYasha choke slightly.

"Oí! I'm not old!" InuYasha protested as he stopped and glared at the little girl - although with much more mellowed out anger than usual. He had grown _some_ since the brat was born.

The little girl licked her lips in preparation for her next question, "But you _will_ die soon, right?"

"No, I'm not going to _die_ soon," he hissed as he sent the little girl a very annoyed look, "Why would you even ask that?"

"Well _you_ said I can't get a cat," she opined confidently, "But you can't say _no_ if you're _dead_. After you _die_, can I get a cat?"

For a moment, he gaped at her like he could barely believe what she'd just asked - her all too innocent smile disturbing him deeply. Just how badly did the brat want a damn cat?! Was he raising a psychopath?! Just...just god _damn_!

Still, it gave him some comfort he was so much stronger than her and she didn't have any spiritual powers. Unlike her brother. They could both defend themselves if the little shit went off the deep end.

"_Sure_," he said very, _very_ slowly as he admitted defeat and tried to end this line of questioning before it got any more disturbing. This was a girl on a mission and he was definitely going to be sleeping with one eye open for the next couple of weeks. He lived but she never did stop asking for a _stupid_ cat.


	8. Thursday, November 7th

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**Thursday, November 7th, 2019**

**Miko**

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It had been an interesting life to be sure. Full of twists and turns. Love and loss. Being able to witness dramatic changes in those around her. Not always for the better. It had been more than she'd ever expected. A life full of adventure from the comfort of her own home.

A few days ago, InuYasha had singled her out when he thought the others wouldn't notice. It had been a strange, uncharacteristic approach. Once they were alone, he spoke to her with only respect.

"I know..." he'd begun awkwardly as he cast her a side eyed glance, "I know that...that I'm not always nice to you. Sometimes...sometimes when...when I look at you it hurts. Makes me remember those times, ya know."

"Aye, that I can understand. I bear you no ill will child," she had chuckled - knowing he was so much older than her and yet, by demon standards, so much younger than her as well. She couldn't help but add that little jibe. It amused her to see him flustered.

"_Anyway_," he tried again as he sent her an irked, pointed glare, "Once...once you would've...you could've been my little sister. Even though...even though things didn't turn out that way, I just want you to know that...that I do still care about you. And...and I'm proud of the woman you've become."

Blinking rapidly at the young man, it was all Kaede could do not to gape at him. Instead, she settled for a mildly confused yet touched smile. She could see how difficult it was for him to say such things by the expression on his face. Difficult and yet somehow he also felt it was necessary.

"Just wanted you to know," he finished lamely as a blush adorned his cheeks and he bit his lip as he waited for her reaction.

"I'm proud of ye as well," Kaede laughed softly as she moved and placed a withered hand on his arm, "Ye have become so much more than last I saw ye. I have no doubt that ye and the others will beat this Naraku."

A strangely tense silence followed those words. Kaede half-expected him to leave but instead he stayed and seemed to be fighting against himself over _something_.

"I..." he paused and coughed lightly, "If...if I...ya know, don't choose Kikyo in...in the end, would you be mad?"

This softly spoken question also took her aback. Was he asking for her approval? He never struck her as a man who asked _permission_. Much less from a woman he often called '_hag_'.

"No," she assured him as she furrowed her brow, "If I had said yes, would ye have changed your mind?"

"I dunno," he laughed wryly as he smirked at her, "_Maybe_."

"Ye would not," Kaede chuckled good naturedly. Despite everything, it was clear he still thought of her as his little sister. He might not love Kikyo any longer but she could not blame him for his change of heart. Sometimes it was difficult for even her to love what her sister had become. It warmed her heart that even after _his_ heart had been broken, he clearly did and always had loved the little girl he'd protected in the meadow so very long ago.

"Will ye tell young Kagome of your choice?" she asked him. He shook his head and sighed.

"Not yet. Not until I'm sure she'll stay if I asked her to," he admitted begrudgingly as he shifted his weight before he added - clearly valuing whatever her answer would be to his next question, "Do _you_think she'd stay?"

"Aye," Kaede responded as she gave him a warm smile and patted his arm, "If ye asked, I have no doubt the girl would stay by your side."

Another tense silence. This time his face crumpled slightly in pain. He sighed shakily and nodded once before swallowing thickly, "Do you...do you think Kikyo loved me? Ya know, back then. You were always close to her."

"As much as she allowed herself," Kaede admitted as she frowned, "But without trust there can be no love. That was her downfall."

He averted his eyes as his face fell further.

"I loved her ya know," InuYasha admitted quietly. There were so many twists and turns to this conversation. So many secrets being revealed.

"As much as ye could," Kaede acknowledged sadly.

Taking a shuddering breath, he nodded once in agreement.

"Do you think...if things had been different," he asked quietly as he gave the old woman a slightly insecure glance, "It would've been _okay_ if...if I was your older brother?"

"Of course. Ye are a good man," Kaede chuckled softly before furrowing her brow, "Although I believe it would have made me sad if ye had used the jewel to become human. I always admired your strength."

Kaede took a deep breath before continuing.

"Ye always made me feel safe," she added softly. He was being so candid it was only fair to be honest with him as well, "The day sister died I grieved the loss of ye as well. Despite the fact sister believed ye were the one who ended her life, I never could be sure. From what I knew of ye, it seemed impossible for ye to harm her. It never sat well."

"Thank you," he whispered softly as he let out another shuddering breath and pulled her into an awkward one armed hug before releasing her rather quickly.

"I really am sorry I call you a hag," he added as he sent her a bemused glance, "Can't promise I won't do it again though."

"I imagine ye will," Kaede laughed as she rolled her good eye, "Tell young Kagome how ye feel, InuYasha. She loves you and fears ye do not feel the same. If ye wait too long, ye may lose her as well."

It had been only a few short weeks later that the final battle with Naraku took place and Inuyasha wasn't given a choice as to whether Kagome would stay or not. Yet another twist and turn. During the three long years the young miko was away, she'd found he often sought her company. Once again admitting things he didn't feel comfortable admitting to anyone else. Things he felt he could only admit to his sister.

"It was strange. One minute I was there feeling so relieved," he admitted casually - like it was nothing to admit what happened that day. At least, it was nothing to admit it to _her_.

"And the next you found yourself back here?" Kaede stated more than asked.

"Yeah, just like that" InuYasha admitted miserably as he rested his chin upon his hand, "I remember how Kagome's mother, brother and grandfather were crying. When I saw that I realized I wasn't the only one who cared about Kagome and needed her."

"InuYasha, I'm speechless," Kaede responded - genuinely speechless for a number of reasons. First, that he would admit such a thing to her of all people. Second, that he had grown so much over the past few years. Although, he had always been the self-sacrificing type. After all, he had been willing to turn human for her sister and abandon his demon heritage to make Kikyo happy.

"When did you become such an understanding and caring person?" Kaede teased - knowing full well that he had _always_ been that way. He just was - for lack of a better term - emotionally constipated. Keeping that part of himself painfully inside out of fear others would perceive such a thing as weakness he couldn't afford.

Shippo, of course, made an ill timed appearance then and suffered the consequences. Pointing out something he had not admitted to anyone or at least not to her.

"Why did ye not tell me ye we're still visiting the Well?" Kaede chided after she was sure they wouldn't be interrupted again. Huffing InuYasha gave her a slightly guilty glance before plopping down again.

"I know what you'd say," he admitted as he sent her a knowing side eyed glance, "But this ain't the same as the whole Kikyo thing. Kagome ain't _dead_. She's just...far away and she'll come back. You'll see. She'll come back."

"Ye are very loyal," Kaede sighed sympathetically before adding in a slightly chiding tone, "Usually to your detriment."

"It's _not_ the same," InuYasha huffed in frustration, "If Kagome came back, she wouldn't come back as a _corpse. _And...and she wouldn't hate me. It's different dammit."

"Yet I know ye would still love her even if she did," Kaede pointed out as she plucked another herb out of the grass, "Ye are too predictable. Aye, I believe ye would wait the entire five hundred years just to lay eyes on the girl again and if the girl does hate ye? Ye would spend the rest of your days attempting to regain favor in her eyes."

"I won't have to wait that long," InuYasha sighed as his claws dug into the dirt and glared at the grass, "She'll come back, Kaede. I _know_ she'll come back. And if she doesn't maybe it's because the well never worked and I _did_ wait. Maybe I'm with her now."

"And what if the girl has moved on? What then?" Kaede asked as she adjusted her basket and avoiding looking at him. She didn't want to see the pain she knew would be on his face. Her question had been merely hypothetical but still she felt he needed to consider that possibility.

"I...I don't...no, she'll come back for me," he finally murmured thickly as he stared listlessly at the grass, "She wouldn't do that. She'll come back."

"Ye trust her to stay loyal after all these years?" Kaede asked softly - knowing the answer even before the phrase '_if looks could kill'_ entered her mind when his amber eyes whipped towards her.

"I trust her with my life," InuYasha replied firmly - his claws digging in deeper as Kaede nodded once in affirmation, "She _promised_ to stay by my side. She'll _find_ a way to come back. She _always_ has. I won't doubt her."

"That is for the best," Kaede opined softly as she turned and offered him a warm smile, "Trust is of the upmost importance."

"And that's why its different."


	9. Friday, November 8th

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**Friday, November 8th, 2019**

**Wolf Demon Tribe**

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"Koga _no_!" a pretty female wolf demon shouted as she raced after her small, maddeningly impulsive wolf pup.

"Koga _yes_," the toddler cackled as he continued racing towards the waterfall - obviously intending to jump off the damn thing.

"No, no baby! Don't jump off the waterfall," the mother bellowed as loudly as she could - her speed nowhere near a match for her son, "Damn, why are you so..."

"No, no baby!" the tiny wolf pup mimicked as he kept running.

"I'm going to kill you, little shit," his mother muttered under her breath as a male demon came out of nowhere and sped ahead of her, "And where the _hell_ have you been?!"

"I was on a hunt," her mate called back as he rushed forward and managed to grip the back of his son's tiny pelt just before he hit the water. When the much larger wolf held the boy up to his face, the tiny pup looked suddenly contrite as he cowered and bared his little throat.

"Pup good," Koga whined before flinching when he felt his father's grip together. Cringing, he squeaked, "Pup good!"

"Pup was _not_ good," his father corrected angrily, "Did you run away from your mother?"

"No," the tiny pup whimpered before submitting once again and whining, "_Yes_."

"You do _not_ run from your mother," his father hissed as the woman in question caught up - completely out of breath.

"I wanted to go to the waterfall," the baby whimpered.

"Well you aren't _going_ to the waterfall," his mother snapped angrily, "Not now. Not _ever_."

"But pup _good_," little Koga argued before cringing and submitting again when he caught his father's eye.

"Are you challenging the alpha female?" the man asked angrily as he gave his son a little shake, "A challenge to her is a challenge to me. You wanna go, brat? 'Cause I'll go and kick your ass all the way down the mountain."

"Don't kick me," the little one whined as he began to wiggle and break free, "Don't kick the baby."

"Why don't you cast him out a few days?" his mother suggested casually - quieting and stilling the little pup instantly.

"That might not be a bad idea," his father opined as he pretended to give it some serious thought. Meanwhile, the baby wolf lost his ever-loving _mind_.

"**_Nooooo_**!" their son screamed hysterically as his wiggles started up again and intensified with each ragged breath, "_**NO! PUP GOOD! PROMISE! DON'T CAST OUT PUP! PUP GOOD! PUP GOOD!"**_

His parents shared a glance before the father dropped the little one on his butt and they both turned away from him.

His screams, at first, increased ten fold but eventually they lessened to pathetic whimpers as he played with his ebony hair and chewed on his fist trying to self-soothe. Tiny hiccups escaping from his mouth as he blinked up at his parents' backs with swollen, pink eyes.

Finally, his father turned around.

"Are you going to listen to your mother?" he asked coldly. The tiny pup nodded as he gnawed in his fist.

"Are you going to run away again?" the father followed up. The baby shook his head and sniffled before holding up too little arms in a silent request to be held and forgiven.

It was his mother who scooped him up and he buried his little nose in her hair. Exhausted from his run and bawling his eyes out, soon the little baby fell asleep and his parents shared an exasperated glance.

"He acts up when he's bored," his mother huffed in frustration, "You need to let him start trying to find betas. I know he's young but he..."

"Who's he gunna hang out with? There's only two boys his age and they're...they're _stupid_!" her husband huffed in exasperation, "I swear on the elders I saw one of those morons trying to eat a rock. A _rock_, Hana."

"You did _not_," his mate snorted as she rubbed her hand lightly over her sons little back, "Babies put stuff in their mouths. That's what they _do_."

"Not at _thirty_!" her husband protested as he gestured at the cave in the distance, "_And_ they're sons of _omegas_! They wouldn't know the first thing about being a beta."

"He is _going_ to play with other children his age," his mate clipped in a tone that left no room for argument and he glared at her as he subtly bared his neck in submission. Alpha male he may be but no one was higher in the pack than the alpha female. Not even him.

"Fine," he huffed as he gave his mate a side eyed glare, "You want him to have the worst beta in history? _Fine_."

"He isn't going to pick either of them as his beta. Ginta and Hakkaku are sweet boys but god knows they don't have that instinct in them," the mother laughed softly, "They'll entertain him. That's all."

"Well, as you know, my beta has a son a decade younger," the father began after a moment of companionable silence, "And Raiden has a few boys a decade older. Maybe they, uh, can be invited too?"

"Raiden's an ass. The only reason I tolerate his existence is because he's my brother," the mother huffed, "And Koga would hurt that baby. He plays too rough and doesn't know his own strength."

"Which is _why_ we should _wait_," her mate pleaded as he gave her an imploring glance, "He's going to pick one of those omegas, Hana. I know he is."

"I was an omega you know," she replied softly as she stroked her sons hair, "Do you regret picking me?"

"That's different," her mate huffed as his cheeks flushed pink.

"How so?" she hummed as she adjusted her hold on their baby.

"It's not...just look at today," he sighed awkwardly, "A beta male needs to have stamina. Needs strength and speed in order to assist in battle. Hell they'll need it just to keep up. I mean, just take what just happened for example. You couldn't even catch a _toddler_ version of an alpha. Omegas just aren't _built_ that way."

"And yet you chose me," she pointed out - not disagreeing necessarily with his argument, "And he may chose them. _You_ might have started something. Maybe he'll choose an omega. Would that be so bad?"

"So long as it doesn't get him killed..." her mate snorted as he realized the battle had been lost, "If we aren't careful, he'll start thinking it's his job to protect _everyone_ on his own. Without a true beta, he won't understand what it's like to have reliable support in a fight. He'll push himself too hard. Do something reckless and get hurt. Have a complex..."

"So he'll be like you then," his mate opined wryly as she sent him a bemused smirk, "You worry too much. It'll be fine. Might bring forth some new candidates if we open up his options. He can pick anyone to be his beta and eventually anyone to be his mate."

"Not _anyone_," the boy's father grumbled as he wrinkled his nose, "If he comes home one day with a human girl, I'm going to blame you. There's a reason things are the way they are and you're bucking the system. He isn't going to respect tradition."

"You started it," she reminded with a soft giggle, "Besides even if he chooses omegas, he'd never pick a human mate. Don't be stupid."

As more decades went by, it became blatantly obvious Koga had picked not one but _two_ omegas to be his second in command. They were clearly not physically cut out for the challenge but they were kind and loyal. Something Koga, for whatever reason, valued over physical strength. Their submissive mannerisms and borderline creepy adoration endeared them to their alpha. The upside was that they calmed Koga. Made him more rational and less impulsive. Together they managed - barely - the tasks a beta would be expected to do. Still, when the announcement was officially made, an older wolf demon rolled his eyes and lolled his head to half-heartedly glare at his mate.

"I told you. I fucking told you. We _should've_ waited but _noooooo_..."


	10. Saturday, November 9th

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**Saturday, November 9th, 2019**

**Naraku and Co**

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"This must be what it's like to be at peace..."

It was freeing. Truly it was. For a time. His soul arriving ready to move on to its next destination.

A spider in this life and a spider in the next.

"Oh my god! _Jerry_!? _**Jerry**_!? I need you!!! There's a spider in the kitchen! Kill it! **_Kill it!"_**

"Jesus Beth, it's just a _spider_. It's not going to hurt you. Calm down! Just smack..."

And so Naraku's soul once again headed towards a new destination.


	11. Sunday, November 10th

_Continuation of Sunday, November 3rd, 2019: Inuyasha Co_

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**Sunday, November 10th, 2019**

**Free Day**

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Cringing, InuYasha watched wearily as the sun began dipping below the horizon. He'd never been a fan of his time of the month but ever since Kagome disappeared his loathing had increased ten fold. Every human night for the past three years kicked his ass throughly. Every negative emotion he managed to suppress coming out to play. Usually he prided himself on the fact that, unless someone _died_, he never shed tears. He could be rammed straight through and hold back the burning at the back of his eyes. Be all but emotionally or physically broken and brush it off.

Ah, what he'd give to have that ability back.

As the sun disappeared and he felt his power fade, he staggered slightly as grief, humility, guilt, loneliness, love, longing, bitterness, anger and a slew of other emotions hit him like a freight train. With a shuddering breath, he felt the sting of a tear sliding down his face quickly followed by a veritable waterfall of emotional release. Usually he hid until the worst of it passed but today he just sank to his knees on the outskirts of the village and stared into the darkness in the distance.

Miroku's ambush just the day before had cut him to his core and he'd felt doubt for the first time since Kagome left. A gut wrenching dose of reality that the monk might just be right. The ugly thought that maybe it was his destiny to lose that soul over and over and over. Kagome was gone. Just like Kikyo before her. At least Kagome wasn't technically _dead_. That was _something_.

And yet the way Miroku had talked she might as well be. They'd _never_ just let him grieve. Not for Kagome. _Especially_ not for Kikyo.

Everyone acted like he should've moved on quickly after he'd been released from his seal all those years ago. But while fifty years had passed for the rest of the world, it hadn't even been an hour for him. He'd needed time to lick his wounds. Instead, he got an almost immediate first row ticket to seeing the woman he _still_ loved - again it had only been an hour _if_ that - being turned into a monster against her will and having everyone act like he should've been _okay_ with that. Like he should've shrugged his shoulders with a '_shit happens_' attitude. No one told _Sango_ to move on and forget her family. No one told Sango to give up on her brother when _Kohaku_ was brought back from the dead. No one told Sango her brother was an evil little bastard that tried to kill them. No one got mad when Sango did stupid shit like steal his sword and try to give it to Naraku. That was _understandable_. She was _grieving_. _He_ was just being _irrational_.

Sniffling, InuYasha adjusted himself and drew his knees up to his chest. They were doing the same damn thing with Kagome. They _all_ wanted him to move on before he was ready.

"InuYasha?" came the last voice he wanted to hear in that moment and he clenched his eyes shut in pain. He _really_ couldn't handle another ambush right now.

"I'm fine," he spat hoarsely as he pulled his knees a little closer to his chest and buried his face into his knees. His body language screaming '_I'm alone in the universe and no one loves me.'_

_"_You're not," Sango sighed sadly as she knelt down beside him and rubbed soothing circles on his back. He unconsciously leaned into her touch.

"I don't want to hear it," he mumbled miserably as a few more tears leaked free and he tried to set his jaw to keep it from trembling, "Just leave me alone."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Sango told him softly as she moved her arm to draw him into a loose one arm embrace, "Except...except I know it hurts and I'm sorry. Miroku told me what he said. He shouldn't have done that."

"Like _you_ weren't the one who told him to say it," InuYasha accused thickly with a ill concealed sniffle. Why couldn't she just leave him the hell alone? It was bad enough she knew he was crying. Despite the fact that the jewel was an evil bastard that never granted your real wish, he'd still use the damn thing to stop his monthly transformations if only to _never_ have to feel this way again. At least if he was a mindless asshole, he wouldn't know any better.

"We'd discussed it," she admitted with a resigned sigh as she squeezed him lightly, "It hurts us to know you're hurting. I know it's not...it's not the love you want but we do _love_ you InuYasha."

Damn it all if a choked sob didn't escape against his will. Sango cringed and rested her head atop his.

"She'll come back," Sango murmured softly after a long moment, "Don't worry. She'll come back. I promise."

"You don't know that," he managed as he let out a shuddering breath and a fresh onslaught of tears streamed down his cheeks, "You _can't_ promise that."

An old pain flashed in Sango's eyes as she tried to think of something to say. It wasn't like him to give up and he seemed to be doing just that. She'd never seen him shed tears for no reason or throw a pity party for himself. This was...It wasn't _right_.

"Inuyasha..." Sango sighed before pausing and swallowing thickly, "How many times did you tell me that we were going to save Kohaku, hm? A hundred? More than that?"

Inuyasha sniffled and shrugged. Curse this human night.

"I never _really_ believed you," she admitted softly and she hesitated before continuing, "At one point I even gave up hope. I was going to kill him and then kill myself rather than see him suffer. You remember that moth demon? The one who sealed us in those nightmares?"

Inuyasha nodded tersely and drew his knees a little tighter against his chest. He'd never admitted it but that demon had been right. His worst fear _was_ being alone again. He didn't want to be reminded of that right now. Not when it seemed like his worst fear was coming true.

"That's what I saw myself doing," Sango continued quietly as she ran his hand up and down his arm, "And just when I was about to do it in that illusion, guess who stopped me and told me hope was not lost? It wasn't Kagome or even Miroku. It was _you_."

Inuyasha let out another shuddering breath and wondered where she was going with this.

"It wasn't fair of us to tell you to forget Kikyo. _Especially_ me," Sango admitted with a resigned sigh as InuYasha blinked in surprise, "You never told me to give up hope Kohaku could be saved. _Never_. And yet...and yet we all told you, at one point or another...we all told you Kikyo was beyond saving. Like there was a difference between the two."

Inuyasha let out a bitter laugh but otherwise didn't comment. He just allowed himself to be held.

"We've been doing the same thing with Kagome and that's not fair," Sango sighed shakily as she placed a soft kiss atop his head and murmured against his hair, "I'm not going to allow you to give up on her. If Kohaku can be saved, Kagome can come back. It might not be tomorrow or even by next winter but don't lose hope. She'll come back."

Inuyasha desperately wanted to believe her but the feeling wouldn't come and he elected to lean into her embrace to find some semblance of comfort.

"If you want," Sango began tentatively as she rested her cheek against his hair, "I can go to the market with you and we can pick up some things for her so she's more comfortable when she comes back. I know the types of things she likes."

"She...she might not..." InuYasha sniffled as he let out a shuddering breath, "I think that...that'd just..."

"When does she finish school? Three years I think she said, right?" Sango interrupted softly - making InuYasha furrow his brow and raise his head slightly, "And she said to me once that her family could get in trouble if she missed too much school. You know how much she loves her family."

InuYasha gaped at the slayer in confusion.

"Has it ever occurred to you that she's waiting to come back until _after_ she finishes?" Sango asked as Inuyasha's dark puffy eyes widened incrementally, "It'd be sometime in the spring, wouldn't it? Shortly after I'm due?"

Letting out a shuddering breath, something akin to hope rekindled in his eyes.

"If she is planning on coming back for good, she'd need to make sure there are no responsibilities left in her era that could endanger her family," Sango concluded with a reassuring smile, "She'll probably come back the day that's done. That's only a few weeks away. Two months? Maybe less."

"You...you think that's why?" InuYasha asked hoarsely as a ghost of a smile played on his lips. That...that **would** make sense. Kagome would _never_ do something that would hurt her family. That had to be it! She was just waiting...

"I bet she's counting down the days," Sango hummed as she leaned forward to place another kiss on her friend's forehead, "Don't give up. She'll be back before you know it."

"I never did like that school of hers," InuYasha chuckled as he felt a weight lift off his chest, "Thats exactly the type of stupid shit she'd do."

His hopeful expression crumpled slightly as an ugly thought worked into his mind.

"Except...except the well doesn't work," he murmured as his heart sank and his face fell back into despair.

"Kagome has _always_ found a way," Sango reminded him gently - noting how he glanced at her and relaxed somewhat, "And maybe it can only work one more time and she couldn't risk not being able to go back and endangering her family. Maybe every time she looks into the well she sees the sky. Can hear you asking her to come back and tells you she will. She just doesn't know you can't hear her."

"You think so?" InuYasha breathed as he searched the slayer's eyes before a slight smirk grew on his face, "You're just saying that to make me _feel_better, aren't you?"

"No. I _know_ she'll come back," Sango corrected as she squeezed him once more before releasing him and clumsily getting to her feet the best a seven month pregnant woman could do. Seeing her struggle InuYasha was on his feet in an instant to assist.

"Thank you," she laughed as she reached up and patted his cheek, "Now come along. Dinner is almost ready."

They walked together for a moment and InuYasha used his sleeve to clean up his face before sniffing and asking softly.

"Would you...would you come to the market with me tomorrow? If...if you're feeling up to it that is."


	12. Monday, November 11th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Monday, November 11th, 2019**

**InuKag**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

All the reasons his friends should stop pressing the issue flew through his mind in rapid succession. Inuyasha could feel the panic grow or fade depending on whatever new spin Miroku tried to pitch. The headman obviously wanted them _gone, _whether due to his presence or some other reason it wasn't exactly clear. Still, one thing was clear. No amount of brown nosing was going to change this man's mind.

"...attacked the village last week. We believe it may be a female and the smaller demons are her spawn," the village headman sighed heavily as Miroku and Sango tried to convince him their group's services would be needed, "_However_, as I've said, we have already hired someone to handle the situation. Your services are not needed."

"I assure you that we are more qualified than whomever you hired," Miroku tried to schmooze as he gestured towards Kagome, Shippo and InuYasha who have remained a short distance away, "Our _diverse_ team of exterminators has faced the very worst and emerged victorious."

"If the slayer we hired is unsuccessful, we will keep your group in mind," the headman replied in a exasperated tone as he forced a smile onto his thin lips, "I must ask you to leave. As I've stated _multiple_ times, your services are not needed."

"Let's go. It's clear they ain't interested," InuYasha finally barked out in an agitated tone as he rolled his eyes, "All you're doing is wasting daylight."

"InuYasha," Kagome chided softly as she gave him an understanding yet stern glare, "Do you have to be so rude?"

"How was _that_ being rude?" InuYasha snorted as he rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, "I wasn't being rude. Headman was being rude."

"I mean...yeah..." Kagome begrudgingly agreed, "_Kinda_."

"Whatever," InuYasha grumbled as he turned and began pointedly walking away. Why the hell couldn't she ever take his side? Ever defend him? Didn't she see how that man had looked at him? He'd refused to hire them not because they hired someone else. InuYasha could tell by scent alone his friends had been the only visitors in the past week. He rejected them because he saw a hanyou and assumed he was evil. _Most_ people assumed he was evil. Maybe they were right.

"Well my friends, it appears we will be sleeping outdoors yet again," the monk sighed glumly as he pouted.

"Same old same old," Kagome agreed before adding, "I don't mind. I love sleeping outside."

"No you don't," InuYasha snorted as he cast her a side-eyed glare, "You sleep like a rock when you're at home. You sat me once in your sleep you know. You've _never_ done that here."

Kagome smirked as she waited for him to realize that he'd just admitted he watched her when she slept. Not when they were out in the open exposed during their quest. _Oh no_. He watched her for the _sake_ of watching her apparently. It was all Kagome could do not to laugh as his eyes bugged and his face morphed into one of unbridled horror.

"Not...not that I went there _to_ watch you sleep," Inuyasha backpedaled as he turned a deep crimson, "It was...you were late and...and I wanted to...to, ya know, make sure you came back on...on time."

His uncharacteristic stuttering and lame finale made it clear he was lying but Kagome merely rolled her eyes and decided not to press the issue. It was flattering that he'd done it if she was being honest. A little creepy, yes, but flattering all the same. After all, that time when he'd fallen asleep on her bed she'd watched him for hours so turnabout was fair play.

"My, my Inuyasha. Watching girls while they sleep. And you call _me_ a pervert," Miroku teased as he cast the hanyou a wicked grin.

"You _are_ a pervert," Sango snorted as she smacked him upside the head and gave Kagome a glance that clearly said this would be a topic they most certainly would dissect later.

"_Whatever_. Let's keep going," Inuyasha grumbled - hoping he didn't sound as miserable as he felt. How could he have been so _stupid_? That, that _right_ there, was right there at the top of the '_never tell Kagome_' list. At least she didn't seem upset that he admitted he'd watched her on only _one_ occasion. If she _really_ knew how many times he'd watched her...he shivered at the thought.

It was sometime later that they set up camp for the night. Near a hot spring Inuyasha had steered them towards. Kagome knew it was his way of apologizing for what he'd said. That he feared she'd read more into it than what he'd intended.

'_Of course he's trying to kiss up_,' Kagome thought miserably as Sango headed back to camp, _'Wouldn't want to give me any ideas now, would he? The poor little girl head over heels for him when he's obviously not interested. Wouldn't want to give the poor pathetic bitch any ammo."_

Sinking a little deeper into the warm water, Kagome pouted. It wasn't quite fair to say he was taken. Kikyo and him had what could only be described as a love-hate relationship anymore. Kikyo _especially_ loved to hate Inuyasha while _Inuyasha_...well, Kagome wouldn't say that he loved _Kikyo_ so much as he loved the _memory_ of a time when things seemed to be going his way. If that made sense. Knowing him as she did now, she could see that he was more put out - if anything - whenever he saw Kikyo. Like a doomed man being sent to the guillotine. Still, he'd go as he always did even though he had to know it bothered Kagome immensely. While he didn't love Kikyo anymore, it was equally obvious that he wasn't in love with Kagome either.

"Stupid Inuyasha," Kagome muttered under her breathed as she raised herself to lean against the smooth stone wall, "I bet..."

"My, my, my. I'm surprised they left you all alone," a deep, haunting female voice cooed menacingly as a scaly woman emerged from the heated water, "I thought she'd _never_ leave. I would have waited here for nothing."

Squealing, Kagome tried to scramble out of the water only to lose her footing on the slippery rocks and land with a loud 'omph' onto the wet grass on the bank of the spring.

"Now, now I have no intention of hurting _you_," the woman laughed softly - her grey skin seeming to be gliding freely along her bones, "Women need to stick together, wouldn't you agree?"

Wincing, Kagome tried to scramble to her feet only to find her naked self completely unable to move. The woman's green-tinged lips curled upwards as she moved closer still.

"Ah yes, _that_," the woman sighed- flashing yellowing teeth and batting long curled eyelashes over filmy eyes, "They always try to run. I find it easier to mitigate the flight risk earlier rather than later. Wouldn't want you to interfere."

"Interfere with what?" Kagome spat hatefully as she tried to summon all her spiritual power to break free.

"That won't work either," the strange creature sighed, "At my basic essence, I am human. Like you. I have no youkai to purify. No aura to detect. More or less I'm what could be called a poltergeist. Neither here nor there."

"You're a ghost," Kagome groaned as she ceased her struggles for a moment to glare angrily and get some answers. Usually whenever she got kidnapped, the culprit always told her their entire plan and she imagined this would be no different.

"Many, many years ago, I was an ordinary woman," the creature began and Kagome rolled her eyes, "I had a husband. Children. All was well in my eyes. Until it wasn't. One day my husband decided he wanted another and rather than let me return to my family he sold me. I was tortured, raped, brutalized and then I died. My soul was so tortured, so broken that it failed to move on. It stayed in my body wanting revenge. And I had it. Killed all of my captors. My husband. But still I could not rest. There were still men in the world. Men who don't deserve to breathe the same air as you and I. The half-demon loves you and yet treats you with nothing but cruelty. He must pay for his..."

"First of all, InuYasha isn't _cruel_," Kagome huffed in frustration as she struggled to turn to face the creature, "Yeah, we fight. That's our thing. It's what we do. That doesn't mean he needs to be punished for it. Second of all, he isn't..."

Kagome trailed off as she swallowed thickly. She couldn't quite bring herself to say the cold, hard truth. Even when it might mean...

Cringing, she forced the words out - hoping it would be something that might save him, "He doesn't love me. We're friends."

"I beg to differ," the creature laughed softly as she moved to kneel beside the miko and effortlessly picked up one of Kagome's hands, "He loves you as fiercely as you love him and yet...tell me, has he betrayed you? Has he ever put your needs above his own? Has he ever made you feel like you weren't enough to be how you are?"

The flash of pain behind the mikos eyes confirmed it even as she mumbled he never had.

"Your foolish obsession with love will only lead you to pain and despair," the creature crooned as she used a sharp claw to draw a single drop of blood from a finger tip and brought the droplet to her mouth. In mere seconds, her grotesque form melted and a perfect imitation of Kagome soon smiled down at her, "I'm going to set you free."

Dropping her hand, the fake Kagome gathered the miko's clothes and clumsily managed to put them on before letting out a terrified, ear piercing scream. It took less than a minute for InuYasha to appear - ready to attack and protect the miko with his life if need be only to seem momentarily distracted by the fact that no danger was in sight.

"Kagome, whats wrong?" he asked as he relaxed his stance - his amber eyes scanning the area and completely missing the trapped miko.

'_Seriously? You don't see anything wrong here?_' Kagome groaned silently as she realized her ability to speak had been stolen. She must be concealed like that time Kikyo tried to drag him to hell.

"I...I thought I heard something," the fake Kagome sniffled as she played with a lock of ebony hair.

"Well I don't smell anything nearby," he reassured her before releasing a long sigh, "Let's head back. The others were worried. I'm sure Sango will come bursting up here if we're not back soon."

'_Good. I hope she does_,' the real Kagome thought bitterly as she scowled.

"Can we just stay here a little longer?" the creature who'd stolen her appearance pouted prettily, "We never get any time to ourselves."

"I mean, the others..." InuYasha began as he scratched the back of his neck and blushed slightly, "But...but it has been a while since it was just you and me. What...what do you want..."

"Will you kiss me?" the fake Kagome asked none too innocently making the hanyou's eyes bug out of his head and the real Kagome snort. That was such a _stupid_...

"Wha-you want me to kiss you?" InuYasha repeated in near disbelief, "_Why_?"

"I love you," the fake Kagome admitted with a warm smile and the real miko suddenly felt somewhat smug. Yeah, that wasn't going to work. All that was going to do...

Kagome was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she missed something very, _very_ important.

Inuyasha felt his breath leave in a soft gasp as his heart melted and a genuine, disbelieving smile played on his lips. Never, _never_ would he have thought she'd love him back. The smile grew as his chest heaved erratically trying to keep up with his thundering heartbeat. She _loved_ him. In that moment it felt like every bad thing that had ever happened to him was washed away. A clean slate presented to him as an apology gift. For the first time ever, something had finally, _finally_ gone his way.

"_Really_?" he managed to ask with no lack of awe, "You...you mean it?"

"Of course I do," the succubus cooed as she slowly crossed the distance between them, "I've always loved you."

_'You bitch_' Kagome huffed silently from her place trapped against the forest floor. Her attention focused solely on the blob pretending to be her. All this would accomplish was him freaking out and running for the hills. No matter how this played those months, hell years of hiding how she felt was now up in smoke. He'd always be suspicious if he put two and two together. And it was going to be so _awkward_ now. Wasn't like he...he...

Kagome's heart did a flip flop before plummeting to the bottom of her stomach when she finally turned her eyes to gauge the hanyou's reaction. She felt sick when she saw the way his body sagged at those words - like his entire being melted and a giant weight had just been lifted off his shoulders. The way his amber eyes shone with pure, unbridled happiness, relief, and love. All written across his face that was, for _once_, free of the usual not-so-subtle anger at the world. He looked like he'd just been given the moon.

'_Oh shit.'_

"Why didn't you say anything?" InuYasha managed to laugh shakily as his arms flew up to hold tightly against him and he nuzzled the fake Kagome's hair. She wrapped her arms snugly around him - a calculating smile on her lips and an evil glint in her eye as she glanced at the trapped miko glaring at her like looks could kill.

"Wasn't sure _you_ loved _me_," the succubus purred as her hands slowly, sensually glided from his back onto his hips - making him shudder and close his eyes in bliss.

"Didn't...I never thought..." he murmured - completely at a loss for words before he gasped and pulled back slightly when the fake Kagome snaked her hand between them to fondle a very sensitive part of his anatomy.

"What're you doing?" he asked nervously as he immediately reached down to pull her hand away - obviously trying to hide his shock mixed with hopeless longing.

"Giving you what you want," the succubus cooed before doing a perfect imitation of a Kagome pity party look, "Don't you want me?"

"I mean..._god_...yeah but..." InuYasha protested weakly as he tried to forget how good it had felt for her to be touching him there, "I just...is now...I mean...I know...in _your_ time..."

"My time?" the succubus interrupted - momentarily distracted as she furrowed her brow, "My _village_ you mean."

_That_ seemed to get his attention and Kagome's heart broke for him as his expression slowly changed. For a moment, the hanyou stared at the woman in his arms like she'd grown a second head before realization set in and he released the figure like it burned to touch her. The shock then pain that flew across his face gone faster than Kagome could really register before cold, unadulterated hatred took its place.

"You're not her," InuYasha accused angrily followed by a rage filled demand, "What the _fuck _did you do?! Where is she?!"

Rolling her eyes, the succubus took advantage of the hanyou's rolling anger and faster than he could react as his mind struggled to keep up, she grabbed him by his forelocks and pulled him down into a searing kiss. For a moment he froze and then relaxed - his eyes fluttering closed but not before Kagome saw them glaze over.

'_Ohshitohshitohshit_,' Kagome thought in panic as she struggled to get up. She'd tried everything she could think of - including trying to use her spiritual powers -but she couldn't budge, '_Nonononono_.'

The real Kagome could feel his aura fading as his arms moved on their own to hold the fake Kagome against him. She cried out in silent despair as his silver hair began fading to black and he crumpled to his knees. Not that the succubus broke contact. Her own form melting to reveal her true nature and...

Kagome thanked whatever god was up there they'd found Shippo.

"_**FOX FIRE!**_" came a surprisingly loud scream as the biggest blue flame the miko had ever seen him produced flew out of the treeline and sent the succubus careening into a nearby tree that crack from the force of impact.

Satisfied the enemy was down, Shippo rushed over to InuYasha and tried to get his attention.

"Hey, you okay?" Shippo asked in a slightly panicked tone as he hopped on the hanyou's shoulder. Leaning down to look at his face, Shippo's face paled when he saw the mostly human hanyou's eyes glazed over as he stared blankly ahead.

"Inuyasha?!" Shippo squeaked as he leapt down onto the awkward slant of his lap and gripped his face, "_**InuYasha**_?!"

"He isn't there," the succubus laughed hoarsely as she staggered to her feet, "That was a nice trick you pulled. Let's see if you can do it again."

Kagome groaned in relief as the bonds that held her down began to loosen. Apparently whatever damage the creature taken from Shippo's attack had managed to weaken the damn things hold on her.

Shippo wilted in relief when Kagome shimmered into existence and began getting to her feet. Relief that slowly morphed into terror when he realized that the creature had managed to subdue Kagome. Now that he thought about it he hadn't felt any youkai. He'd just followed Kagome's scream like InuYasha had.

"What do you mean he's not _there_?" the real Kagome hissed as the last remnants of her visage melted away from the succubus, "What did you do?"

"I took his _soul_ stupid girl," the succubus snorted as she gestured toward Inuyasha's empty shell, "What do you think beings like me _do_?"

"You took..." Kagome whispered as her entire body went numb from fear and shock before scream in despair when Sango's boomerang appeared out of nowhere and cut the very surprised looking succubus clear in half. For a moment, even the birds failed to chirp as the world held It's breathe before a dozen or so white orbs burst forth. One slamming straight back into InuYasha's chest followed by a strangled gasp.

"What the fu..." InuYasha breathed weakly as his hazel eyes widened in disbelief and he collapsed onto the ground.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"You're going to be okay," Kagome's hoarse watery voice registered in his ears. He could feel her palm cupping his cheek as the other stroke his hair, "You're okay. It's going to be okay. It...it has to be. You can't leave me. You just...you just can't."

Groaning, InuYasha almost - _almost_ \- thought to return the affectionate gesture - believing for one blessed moment that what had transpired had been with the real Kagome before cold dread filled his gut.

"How much...how much did you hear?" He whispered hoarsely - his eyes clenched tightly shut as he waited for the crushing blow he knew her words would inflict.

"Well...all of it," Kagome admitted soft as a rush of air left her lungs and she let out a choked sob, "I was so..."

What she was he didn't hear as he shot to his feet - his body protesting loudly - and ran as fast as he could into the woods. His once again silver hair blowing behind him in his rush.

"InuYasha?!" Kagome cried out as she scrambled to follow after him, "Come back! _Come **back**_! I'm not...I'm not upset with you! Why are you running?"

If anything her words made him run that much faster. He couldn't look at her. Couldn't go back. Not when he knew how royally screwed he was. Things would never be the same. She might, _maybe_, still give him the friendship she always had but...but it'd never be the same. No matter how endlessly forgiving she was...

He didn't want her forgiveness. He wasn't _sorry _that he loved her. He wasn't _sorry_ that he kissed...well not her but he _thought_ it was her. He wasn't _sorry_ that for one blissful moment he thought, no he _knew_ she loved him. It was the happiest he'd _ever_ felt and it was a cruel joke. How could he go back to the way things were? He didn't _want_ to go back to the way things were. For a moment, he'd been free...he'd come so close to...to...

"Why did you run?" Kagome whispered sadly as she rubbed her arm and stared into the darkness, "I...I love you too."

But he was too far away by that point to hear her confession.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A week passed without any sign of InuYasha. They'd even fought one of Naraku's reincarnations - which was notably more difficult without the famous wind scar - and he still didn't show. Well, not _really. _See this is why Shippo was confused. They might not have seen InuYasha but the young fox kit was _sure_ he could smell him on Kagome's sleeping bag and Kagome's hair _every_ morning. While the others chalked it up to him being near Kagome often, Shippo knew - better than anyone - Kagome's hair or her sleeping bag had _n__ever _smelled like that before.

"I _can_ smell him though," Shippo whined in Kagome's ear, "It's not just leftovers. It's fresh. You sure you don't go to see him when we're asleep?"

"Of _course_ I'm sure," Kagome sighed as she tried to dismiss the possibility that he was somehow coming to visit without anyone noticing. At first, she'd believed - well more hoped - that he did love her and it wasn't some kind of spell. The longer he stayed away though the more convinced she became that he didn't feel that way at all. That he'd run rather than have to tell her he didn't love her after all.

"Maybe he thinks you don't love him," Shippo whispered, "Maybe he feels embarrassed or maybe that thing tricked him somehow. She did have his soul for a little bit. Maybe she made him think..."

"Shippo," Kagome cut him off with an exasperated sigh, "It...it was a _spell_. He _doesn't_ love me. Never _did_. Never _will_. Please just drop this. I know he'll come back eventually. He just needs some time. You know he doesn't do anything he doesn't want to do."

"You aren't listening to me! No one ever listens to me!" Shippo hissed angrily as he crawled onto Kagome's chest and shook her through the fabric he clung to with his tiny claws, "His scent is on you! He _has_ to be nearby. _He_ probably thinks _you _don't love him because he's _stupid_!"

"Shippo _enough_!" Kagome clipped back as she tugged him off and placed him none too gently on the ground, "Leave it alone."

"You're _both_ stupid! You _deserve_ each other!" Shippo spat angrily as he whirled around and marched after their friends who had glanced over their shoulders in curiosity.

It was Miroku who finally approached the young miko later that night. He had drawn the same conclusion as Shippō and had an idea.

"You know how he hates when you wander at night," Miroku opined thoughtfully as he sat down beside the miko trying to focus on her chemistry homework by firelight, "I would suggest you take a stroll through the forest. Perhaps without your bow. Maybe even fall and scrape your knee."

"Scrape my knee?" Kagome snorted as she closed her book with an audible snap, "_Why_ would I want to scrape my knee?"

"He will not be able to resist coming to you if he smells your blood," Miroku pointed out as though it was obvious, "You are blinded by his affection for Kikyo. I do _not_ believe he loves her any longer. That he _hasn't_ for _quite_ some time."

"Fine. You all think he's just hanging around? Fine," Kagome huffed as she placed her book on the ground, "I'll go into the forest. I'll scrape my knee. And you know what's going to happen? I'm going to come back _alone_ with a scraped knee."

"He said he..." Miroku sighed in exasperation.

"He _didn't_ say," Kagome clipped back as she got to her feet, "He was _flattered_ but again, it was the spell talking. He only ran because he's embarrassed and probably avoiding me but if it'll make all of you leave _me_ alone, I'll go."

Marching into the forest, she glared around the trees with ill concealed anger. Like the trees and darkness themselves offended her by existing. With determined motion, she didn't even bother falling. She smacked her hand against a nearby tree and scraped her hand across it until she felt a few cuts. Satisfied that she'd proven the monk wrong, she huffed before freezing when two masculine hands suddenly snaked around her from behind and grasped her hand.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" InuYasha barked softly as he maneuvered himself to hold her hand up to his face, "How are you supposed to use your bow like this?"

"Where did you come from?" Kagome blurted as she stared at him in disbelief, "I thought..."

"Where the hell is your bow? Why are you out here after...after _you_ got attacked without any protection?!" InuYasha cut her off as he dropped her hand. He'd managed to avoid pointing out what happened to him but overall he was praying she didn't bring it up. Why the hell did _he_ bring it up? Screaming internally, he tried to keep up his angry glare even as fear and resignation lingered behind his amber eyes.

"Why did you run?" Kagome asked after a tense moment - noting his cringe and the way he paled. His eyes widening in panic as his mind raced to find a reasonable explanation. Really _that_ was why he hadn't come back yet. He didn't want to try to explain himself. What could he really say that wasn't a bold face lie anyway? And he never wanted to lie to her.

"I...I Just..." he attempted before a brilliant, no good idea occurred to him, "Don't try and change the subject! You're out here unprotected! Why?"

"Miroku said you'd come if you thought I was hurt," Kagome replied honestly - a guilty smile playing on her lips as she raised her uninjured hand to cup his cheek. Her thumb gently caressing his skin.

"Oh," InuYasha breathed as he tried to figure out if this was a good thing. He subconsciously leaned into her touch as his mind raced. Was she just doing this out of pity? Or could it be...

"Why did you run?" Kagome asked again as she searched those expressive amber eyes and saw the answer even though the one he gave wasn't the one she wanted to hear.

"Dunno," he lied lamely - cringing at how the lie tasted on his tongue.

"You _know_..." Kagome laughed softly as she gave him a warm smile, "Didn't you hear me?"

"Hear what?" InuYasha clipped back as angrily as he could fake - he felt like a man about to be executed.

"I love you too," she giggled as a bomb exploded somewhere in the distance behind his eyes. For a moment he merely stared at her - as though his mind had fried - before that melting expression was back and a dopey grin grew on his face.

"Say It again," he begged hoarsely as his eyes sparkled with happiness and his heart beat wildly in his chest.

"I love you," Kagome cooed - her own heart soaring as he gave her the happiest smile she'd ever seen on _anyone's_ face, much less his, "I've always..."

She didn't get to finish as two clawed hands flew up to grip her face and his lips crashed down onto her own.


	13. Tuesday, November 12th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Tuesday, November 12th, 2019**

**MirSan**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

When being courted, mother had said there was only one rule of thumb. Everyone has flaws. No one is perfect. The most important consideration was not whether they were attractive or charming or even whether they could provide.

Oh no.

That quirk you thought was charming will one day drive you insane. His jokes would grow old. His looks would fade. Some habit you didn't think much of in the beginning would one day make your eye twitch. No matter how much you love someone there _will_ be days you want to kill them. Therefore, the most important thing when picking a husband was to know what you could tolerate and what you couldn't.

Sango honestly believed it would be Miroku's flirtatious behavior that would drive her crazy but as it turned out, that didn't bother her at all and had stopped almost entirely. No, _that_ wasn't what drove her insane.

"You're going to meditate _now_?" Sango hissed angrily as she tried to wrangle the crawling, wriggling twins so she could change their diapers, "Can't you _wait_?"

"We have an exorcism this afternoon. I need to be prepared. Any later and there won't be time to do so," Miroku hummed happily as he leaned down to kiss the top of Sango's head - completely oblivious to the fact that the likelihood of his untimely death was growing exponentially _more_ likely with each passing second, "I won't be long."

"Can't you at least help change them _first_?" Sango huffed as she managed to pin one of the babies down who squealed like trying to escape again was the greatest game she'd ever thought of and she fought her mother with a big toothless grin only babies could pull off.

"You appear to have it handled," Miroku opined reassuringly before he furrowed his brow at the glance filled with pure rage Sango shot his way. A glance that promised nothing but _pain_ in his future if he _didn't_ take one of their daughters and put a fresh diaper on. He hadn't seen _that_ look since the time she thought he'd slept with that girl being courted by the fish demon way back when and it sent shivers down his spine.

"But, of course, I will assist," he chuckled nervously as he set about capturing the other twin who was making a break for the door, "I will meditate later."

Ah yes, there were many things about Miroku she could tolerate. The one thing she couldn't, as it turned out, was his _ridiculous_ obsession with sitting under a tree with his eyes closed for _hours_.


	14. Wednesday, November 13th

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Wednesday, November 13th , 2019**

**Sesshomaru Ships**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

He dreaded going to court anymore. The women - older _and_ younger - all fawning over him like he was a god. The only, _only_ reason he even accompanied Father was that it was _required_ of him. The only reason these women were even interested was that Sesshomaru was the heir apparent and they desired _power_. It disgusted him. Truth be told, the young daiyoukai was most likely the least self-aware demon on the planet. He looked down on everyone - even his father who was more powerful than he could ever hope to be. Hated everyone. Was absolutely determined never to mate anyone. None of them were worthy of him anyway.

It wasn't until he encountered a woman as bitter and angry as himself that the thought briefly crossed him mind that she may be worthy of him. She seemed to merely _tolerate_ his existence which he appreciated. There was no borderline obscene adoration in her gaze. They had been enemies - that much was true - but as time went on, that no longer seemed to matter. Towards the end of her pain-filled existence, he had encountered her twice. Once when she was injured - he was cruel per the norm. Unwilling to let anyone notice the way his eyes had lingered on her nearly nude form. It was when he smelled her blood that he admitted to himself that he did harbor affection - perhaps even love - towards the woman. He soared through the sky as only he could to ensure she wouldn't have to die alone. She deserved so much better. He hoped she found peace in the next life. All he felt was regret that she could not be saved. He had tried but his heart - frozen though it may be - did hurt when he realized it was impossible.

For never was there and never would be another woman he deemed worthy.


	15. Thursday, November 14th

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Thursday, November 14th, 2019**

**Kikyo Ships**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

I didn't sleep last night so Kikyo can go fuck herself.


	16. Friday, November 15th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Friday, November 15th, 2019**

**Koga Ships**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

A month ago she'd made the one and true correct wish on the jewel. It had disappeared making the world breathe a sigh of relief. At first everyone had been overjoyed - they'd spent the next week celebrating together. And then one morning he was gone.

He never even said goodbye.

She had waited a few days in the hope that he'd at least have the decency to wish her a final farewell but after the second week, she realized the cold hard truth. Turned out he never cared about any of them. It was Kikyo he loved. It had all been a means to an end.

She tried to act like his betrayal didn't break her heart. Although technically his obligations to their rag-tag group ended with the destruction of Naraku and the jewel, the fact that he so easily walked away cut her deeply. At a minimum, she believed they had been _friends_.

She tried to tell herself that if, for him, happiness was being with Kikyo then she was happy for him. The problem was that she was a _terrible_ liar.

The next blow had come when she tried the well and almost broke her leg when she landed on cold hard dirt. No matter how many times she tried the well, it refused to let her return to a world where she could move on with her life. She was trapped, shocked and alone.

Miroku and Sango offered to take her with them. They were going to rebuild the slayers village. At least for the next few years in memorium for the fallen. Kagome refused. It hurt to be around any reminder of the man who broke her heart. With solemn purpose, she'd donned miko robes, packed a bag and headed out into this world that was not her home. Just in case, she masked her aura with a soft pink barrier. At least at first. The last thing she wanted was for InuYasha to rub his relationship in her face and with Kaede still living...well Kikyo _might_ want to spend time with her sister. As she had _every_ right to do.

She really wished she'd just stayed put. A few months into her solitary journey she encountered InuYasha. At least this time he had the decency to say _something_. He'd seemed to feel guilty Kagome had been left behind and would never get to see her family again. Not that he apologized for what he'd done. Truth be told, he didn't need to. At some point, he even offered to let her join him and his _wife_ so she wouldn't be alone in this world. It was the _least_ he could do he'd said.

Why in the _hell_ would he _ever_ think she'd want _that_?!

With a detached sounding farewell, he left her and she carried on. Earning a living doing this and that for random villages by day and crying all night. It seemed so unfair.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Here comes the sun," Kagome sang miserably as she walked slowly through a meadow headed nowhere in particular, "Here comes the sun..."

So engrossed in her grief was she that it wasn't until her hair blew back that she even realized he was there.

"Where the _hell_ have you been?" Koga asked anxiously as he rushed forward and embraced her tightly, "When I came for you, the old hag told me you'd left. I couldn't even follow your scent! I thought..."

He paused and shuddered before holding her tighter.

"I thought you might've..." he couldn't finish and opted to hold her tighter still and place a soft kiss atop her forehead, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

In all honesty, the _last_ thing on her mind had been even the _remote_ possibility that Koga had been serious this whole time. That he would _actually _come fetch her when the quest was finished. In fact, she hadn't thought of him at all.

Yet another reminder that cut her to her very core.

That broke her heart and made her cry.

"Hey, hey, why are you crying?" he whispered anxiously as he pulled back and leaned down to look at her face, "It's okay. I'm not mad or anything. Just been worried is all."

He reached up to cup her chin and ran a calloused thumb across her cheek to wipe away a stray tear.

"Don't cry," he pleaded softly as he gave her a reassuring smile, "You're safe now."

"Why...why..." Kagome tried thickly but she couldn't force her question out so she opted for an easier one, "Why were you looking for me?"

"Because I love you," he replied as he furrowed his brow - concern filling those sapphire eyes, "It's time to come home."

The thought of her actual home made the poor miko cry harder still.

"I can't..." Kagome managed between sobs and she tried to rip her chin out of his grasp. He held firm.

"Come home with me," he ordered softly as he gave her a reassuring smile her and continued to stroke her cheek, "I'll take care of you."

"You don't even...you don't even know me," Kagome choked as tears poured down her face, "You don't..."

"I know you," he chuckled as gave her a knowing smirk, "You think I haven't realized where you're from? _When_ you _must_ be from?"

Kagome pulled back and gave him an incredulous look.

"Don't look surprised. I'm not _stupid_," he laughed softly, "How else can you even _begin_ to describe who you are? I don't know exactly _when_ you're from but has it ever occurred to you that you might have been able to come here so you could meet _me_?"

A single tear escaped her eye, rolling down her cheek, as she raised her arms and returned his embrace.

"I know...I know I'm not who you wanted. I've always known that," Koga continued thickly as he rested his cheek atop her head, "But will you let me give you the love you _deserve_? I'll wait until you're ready. I want you to be happy. Come with me?"

With a shuddering sigh, she nodded.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Two years had passed since she'd joined the wolf demon tribe. At first, it had been difficult. It took her months - if not a year - to get over Inuyasha's betrayal. She didn't even realize she moved on until word reached them that Kikyo's clay form had given out and InuYasha had been left to his own devices once more.

It surprised her that - while she did pity him - there was no desire to return to his side. The realization had not been bitter. It hadn't hurt. She compared it to seeing a new relationship update on Facebook. An '_aw that's sad'_, click a sad face reaction and then go about your day because you didn't actually care type of feeling. It didn't _really_ affect her and while she felt _bad_ for the man who she had once believed was her friend, it didn't ruin _or_ make her day. It just was some mildly interesting news.

What _did_ surprise - and disgust - her was when InuYasha sought her out - clearly trying to find a rebound or a replacement of some kind. Koga had looked at her with apprehension - clearly concerned that she'd abandon him to go with the hanyou. She hadn't, after all, _really_ reciprocated any of his advances. Despite how much he loved her, with a resigned sigh, he let her go - murmuring something about how he wanted to be happy.

It was that exact moment when she realized she was.

InuYasha had been shocked when she politely declined trying to start a relationship - clearly having believed she would readily accept coming in second and as a last resort. Koga, meanwhile, had never felt more relieved and as he watched her bid her farewell, his heart melted at the reassuring smile she gave him.

He tried to bring it up a few times - wanting to know what had gone through her mind when she had chosen to stay. Before the bastard had come for her, she'd been withdrawn and melancholy. After she seemed to breathe easier...seemed to...to be willing to love him. She sought him out more and more. Even joining him in his bed every night and cuddling close to him. To be honest, as cautiously ecstatic he was at this development, the whole thing made Koga nervous as hell.

"Like I'd ever leave you," was always her reply to his tentative inquiries as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

Three more years passed by - each day their relationship progressing. It had been the happiest day of his life when she finally told him she loved him. As their first child was handed to him, he chuckled at the irony and ran a fingertip lovingly across the chubby cheek.

Wouldn't you know it.

Their baby had _puppy ears_ atop his tiny head.


	17. Saturday, November 16th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Saturday, November 16th, 2019**

**Any Ship**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Is this…is this what happiness feels like?

It's been so long I can't remember.

Is it _okay_ for me to feel this way?

I don't deserve it.

That's for damn sure.

Still…when she smiles at me…

I feel like I could take on the world.

I don't deserve her smiles.

I don't deserve _her_.

She'd be better off with someone else.

_Anyone_ else.

But I know I heard her say she loves me.

After I almost let her _die_.

I'm such a bastard.

I don't deserve her.

She deserves so much better than someone like me.

And yet…and yet…

The way I feel when I'm around her…

Is this what happiness feels like?

Or is it something more?


	18. Sunday, November 17th

_Continuation of Sunday__, November 3rd, 2019: Inuyasha Co_

_Continuation of Sunday, November 10th, 2019: Free Day_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Sunday, November 17th, 2019**

** Free Day**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Taking a long steadying breath, InuYasha looked down into the well expectantly as he had every day since Sango had given birth. It had been a month. A whole month and still there was no sign that Kagome had any intention of showing up.

And...Miroku was extremely concerned how literally his friend was taking Sango's prediction. InuYasha's humble - and usually _abandoned_ \- hut had undergone a makeover. The almost barren abode was now the epitome of comfort. InuYasha had installed a sliding door for starters. Was working on a window. He'd spent almost every gold coin he had to buy a futon and blankets and combs. Traded away precious resources he could actually use for things that might merely sit around forever gathering dust.

Sighing heavily, Miroku cringed when InuYasha tried jumping in the well again. If Kagome didn't show up, he was fairly certain it would break the hanyou but the monk didn't dare say anything. Sango had threatened to beat him within an inch of his life if he did. That didn't mean he wholeheartedly agreed with his wife that it was for the best to give Inuyasha _false_ hope. Although what Sango had said was well intentioned it was also borderline _cruel_. To tell someone who'd been alone most of his life, who'd suffered and lost so much that the woman he loved would return when they _all_ knew if the miko _could_ have she _would_have by now. No, it would've been kinder not to lie.

If Inuyasha's behavior that night when Sango approached was any indication, Miroku feared that their friend may turn to more drastic measures to escape the pain he so clearly felt. In some ways, Sango had provided a _deadline_. When winter arrived...

"InuYasha, I need your assistance with an exorcism," he called out - noting how the hanyou didn't react other than an ear flicking in his direction. Frowning Miroku tried a different, rather unique approach, "Sango is in labor and if I do _not_leave, I _will_ go insane. Please accompany me _unless_ you wish to hear her screams and mine _all_day."

It was true. As much as he was concerned for his friend, the need to leave was not _only_ to get InuYasha to temporarily abandon his obsession with the well. The last time Sango gave birth Miroku almost had a nervous breakdown. During the grueling full day of labor, there had been a moment - a terrifying, heart stopping moment - when Sango couldn't breathe. He'd seen the way Kaede called for assistance and the village women dropping everything to help. He tried to go in but they insisted he stay outside. If InuYasha hadn't grabbed him by the collar and drug him away, he would've seriously hurt someone in an effort to get to the love of his life who _clearly_ needed him.

After the twins had been delivered safely, there had been another scare as Sango had begun to bleed. Another moment when his heart skipped a beat. _Again_, they had refused him entry and _again _InuYasha had to drag him away.

Although he hid his fear through humor, the truth of the matter was he needed his friend to be there to drag him away if he stayed and if they left, he needed his friend there - with his sharp nose and inhuman speed - to get back if something was going wrong. The exorcism was barely an hour's journey. _Barely_. InuYasha had smelled blood at a further distance than that in the past and his friend was acutely aware of all of their scents. InuYasha was _crucial_ to maintaining Miroku's sanity and any semblance of calm. The fact that it also would get InuYasha to leave the well alone was just a happy coincidence.

For a moment, InuYasha merely stared at the monk - his dark brow furrowed before he glanced at the village as though weighing his options. In many ways he was. Not that an option was staying by the well. It wasn't even one he considered. No, if Sango was in labor, Miroku should probably stay. Especially seeing as how she nearly died last time. He didn't tell the monk - nor would he - that he'd heard Sango's heart stop beating around the time she started struggling to breathe. Caught the scent of death lurking in the shadows. Miroku's constant screaming, cursing and attempts to barge in only served to distract the women from saving the slayer and so, InuYasha had drug him away, landed a well-placed blow to the back of the monks head and knocked him the hell out. _Twice._

If any of them _had_ died, it's not like that would've been the end of the world. InuYasha would've gladly given his bastard brother Tessaiga and his right arm to wield the damn thing in exchange for bringing them back - although Sesshomaru would've probably done it anyway after all Sango had done for Rin. Their group only needed one grieving asshole. InuYasha would be damned before he let there be another.

Sighing, he realized the easiest option for everyone was probably going with the monk. _Should_ a father be present for the birth of his child? Most would probably say yes. Could Miroku _handle_ staying? InuYasha would wager _no_.

"Fine. Fine. I'm coming," InuYasha groaned as he tucked his arms in his sleeves and followed after the monk who was already rapidly walking away.

**XXXXXXXXXXX**

The exorcism had gone surprisingly well. So well - in fact - that the village had placed both him and Inuyasha on retainer by providing them each a barrel of rice in exchange for three months of protection. It seemed easy enough. The village was so close by that - on horseback - a villager could retrieve them relatively quickly and Inuyasha could run faster than most horses thus making the situation ideal. It had improved Miroku's mood considerably - so much so that the fine wrinkles around his eyes brought about by worry had almost faded. That didn't mean his worry wasn't present though.

"Do you hear anything?" Miroku asked tentatively as they approached the meadow that housed the well, "Is she alright?"

"Still in labor but I think its nearing the end," Inuyasha replied with a soft smile as his ears trained forward, "This one has been much easier."

"So no twins then," Miroku sighed in relief as the hanyou rolled his eyes, "I already told you it's _not_ twins moron. Based on the scent, it's just one boy."

"And _he's_ doing well?" the monk followed up as he glanced nervously at his friend - he needed to hear it for himself. That last confirmation that nothing had happened while he was away.

"He's fine," Inuyasha sniffed before cracking his neck and adjusting the barrels on his shoulders, "You go ahead. I'm gunna stay here for a minute. My neck is killing me."

Sending his friend a knowing, fleeting glance, Miroku shook his head before hurrying along with a big shit-eating grin on his face. Gently placing the barrels onto the ground, Inuyasha watched the monk go before turning his attention back towards the well. Running his hand over the worn wood, he sighed and a wistful look adorning his features. He couldn't blame the monk for being worried. One day, _when_ Kagome came back, he'd probably be ten times worse than the monk. _No one_ would be able to stop him from being by her side. He never gave two shits about what was proper anyway. Truth be told, he'd never really gave much thought to having kids. Wasn't like he'd ever be given that opportunity. A part of him was hesitant to do so anyway. He'd never bring a child into the world knowing that they'd be ostracized like he was. A baby couldn't be still or quiet while they hid from a potential enemy. He didn't have a home to protect an infant from the elements. No way to provide.

But now? Kagome had sent him on a path that allowed him to have security. A stable enough lifestyle to make sure a child never had to suffer like he had. They'd be loved and accepted not only by their parents but by an entire village and a loving aunt and uncles who would protect them with their lives. When he'd first realized Sango was pregnant with the twins, a longing he didn't even realize he had bloomed in his stomach. He _wanted_ children as it turned out. Not just with anyone - with _Kagome_. Maybe he'd try to have a human child. A child who grew up _completely_ normal. Well relatively anyway. Except Kagome wouldn't want that. If he so much as suggested such a thing, she'd take it as rejecting a part of himself and he would _never_ hear the end of it. He imagined she'd want whatever child they might have to inherit his ears for god knows what reason. She'd always been obsessed with them.

As he realized Sango had successfully delivered their child, Inuyasha sighed and drug his claws lightly against the wood. Maybe Kagome just needed a sign that he was waiting for her. Something that would make it all the way to her time but subtle enough where neither of them would realize unless they looked for it. Glancing around, he knelt down and scanned the underside of the lip of the well for a suitable location. A single claw carving the words he so desperately wanted to tell her in person.

_Ai shiteru_

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

The next weeks passed quicker than InuYasha could blink. A few weeks where hope bloomed in his chest to such a degree that he hadn't even tried the well. Kagome would graduate any day now and he knew, just _knew_, she'd come back as soon as she was finished. It was the _only_ rational explanation for her extended absence. The only one he could accept anyway.

They'd see.

She'd come back.

It wasn't until his second human night since Sango had given birth passed that doubt once again began festering in his soul. _Surely_, Kagome would have graduated by now. She always got a few months off during the summer or so she'd told him. It was _undoubtedly_ summer.

Slowly but surely, his excitement faded and he began to resign himself to reality. He stopped going to the well and that bothered his friends far more than his obsession with it ever had.

"InuYasha, have you..." Miroku cleared his throat as they walked back from yet another exorcism, "Have you checked on the well lately?"

"No," InuYasha replied dismissively - trying and failing to hide the flash of pain behind those amber eyes.

"Just curious," the monk sighed as he cast his friend a concerned glance. Inuyasha never struck him as the type of man who'd give up. Even though he'd made him promise to try to move on, he knew - or _had_ known - that such a thing would never come to pass.

"She isn't coming back," InuYasha finally sighed after a long tense silence, "You were right. If she could come back, she would've. There's no point checking it anymore."

Miroku didn't know what to say to that. More than ever he regretted saying such a thing in the first place. InuYasha looked so defeated - like he was tired of life and wanted nothing more than the pain of this existence to end. It scared the monk almost as badly as the final battle with Naraku.

"She may," Miroku tried - earning a withering glare from the hanyou, "It could be as Sango believes and Kagome is merely waiting until her obligations to her era are complete."

"I know Sango didn't mean it. Everyone else already knew..." InuYasha replied glumly before he averted his eyes and sighed, "She's gone and there's nothing we can do about it. I just...we just gotta be happy she's safe where she is."

"It's too early to..." Miroku began earnestly before InuYasha held up a hand and cut him off.

"I'm okay," InuYasha replied softly as he tried to give his friend a reassuring smile that only made a cold feeling spread through the monk's veins, "It's been three years. It's not too early to know. I'm okay."

Amber eyes met his for a moment and Miroku felt a pit grow in his stomach. It was like the fire burning in those eyes has been dowsed with ice water. It unnerved him. It was like the Inuyasha they knew had just crawled right back inside some invisible shell and no matter how hard they might try he'd be unreachable. Those normally bright eyes even seemed to move more slowly, like they were somehow heavy and it was an effort to move them at all.

"You still have us, my friend," Miroku offered - an almost desperate undertone to his voice. While they had managed to survive the loss of Kagome, in many ways it was always a possibility and therefore the blow was easier to handle. If they lost _Inuyasha_...

"I _said_ I'm _okay_, dammit," InuYasha snapped half-heartedly before he quickened his pace and put some distance between them.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Sango and Miroku were getting on his last damn nerve. One of them seemed to be stalking him at any given point in time. Like they expected him to lose his damn mind. It was _suffocating_.

"_Come to dinner, InuYasha. Babysit the girls, InuYasha. Hold the baby, InuYasha,"_ the hanyou mocked as he dug his slammed his fist into a nearby tree and sent it crashing to the ground, "_Kaede needs help, InuYasha. We need firewood, InuYasha. We should go check on the villages we promised to protect, InuYasha. Take Shippo, Kohaku, Rin, Kaede..._just...just _fuck_ 'em. Fuck them all. I'm fine dammit. I'm fucking _fine_."

The poor tree suffered his wrath as he began hacking it into logs and beams.

"She. Isn't. Coming. Back," he huffed in between blows, "She isn't coming back and there's _nothing _I can do about it. I've made my peace with it and if they can't accept that, then they can go fuck themselves. Why can't they leave me alone, huh? They act like...like..."

He sighed heavily and glared into the forest like it offended him by existing. He knew why if he was honest with himself. To go from...from being so convinced she'd return to giving up on the whole idea would be concerning. It would be like...like If during their quest Miroku suddenly announced he was resigned to death by wind tunnel or Sango declared she no long cared if Kohaku died. It was part of what defined him.

The fact that they cared wasn't the worst thing. It was better than knowing he was _truly_ alone. For a moment, the weight of everything seemed to press down on his shoulders and he struggled to take his next breath. It was too much. All of it. The stalking. The reality that he'd never see Kagome again. That he was alone and unhappy while everyone else got a happy ending. For a few fleeting minutes, the darkness in his soul grew darker; the pain grew sharper. He began to wonder if things would ever go right for once.

Not that he'd never say that out loud. At least not when he was normal and not some crying human bitch. He could at least pretend when in his usual state that he was doing alright. Sometimes he wondered, though, if his smile- the horribly fake smile he put on in an attempt to make everyone leave him alone- was ever seen through. If someone ever noticed that sad, broken look in his eyes. Maybe that's why they were stalking him. They knew how close he was to losing it.

Still, they could ease up on the constant nagging. Sometimes just needed to be alone with his thoughts. Like today. Sango tried to get him to take Kohaku along but he'd pretended he didn't hear and ran off.

Sighing heavily, he collected the wood he'd managed to throw all over the place and made his way back to his friend's hut.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Can you do something about the twins?" InuYasha groaned as the pair tried to slay him by yanking painfully on his ears. Usually he'd've fallen over by now and admitted defeat - proclaiming that he had indeed been slain - but today he merely sat and ignored them. It was clear as they tugged and tugged that they were getting frustrated he wasn't playing along.

"Girls leave him alone," Sango sighed although she made no move to force them to do so - much to Inuyasha's ire. She wasn't getting them off him on purpose. _Another_ way to make him stay where they could keep an eye on the poor pathetic hanyou.

It was in between yet another painful tug that he smelled her. His eyes widened incrementally as his heart stopped beating. He waited. Maybe he was going crazy and was imagining things.

The scent lingered - growing stronger as he heard her efforts to climb the vine he'd kept there in case she did come back. He hadn't had the heart to remove it.

"Go slay the fox," he ordered as he reached up and thrust the girls at Shippo. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him - knowing the slayer and monk were about to come chasing after him. They never would leave him alone.

He slid into the clearing - his nose working overtime as he tried to confirm his mind wasn't playing tricks on him. He had been lying when he said he was fine - although that had been obvious to anyone with eyes. Truly he felt like he'd been in a dense fog that had no intention of leaving anytime soon - it's pressure making it hard to breathe much less function. He'd gone through the motions - doing his best to pretend everything was alright but...but...

Heart racing in his chest, he rushed to the well and stuck his hand in - hoping and praying that she'd grip it. That he hadn't finally lost him damn mind.

And grab it she did. He pulled her out of that well and into his arms so fast it caused her head to spin. His arms closing around her so tightly it was almost hard to breathe.

"InuYasha, were you waiting for me?" Kagome asked shakily as she returned his embrace - feeling his chest move with the effort of holding back a laugh.

"Idiot," he scoffed - of _course_ he'd been waiting - before adding softly, "What took you so long?"

He heard his friends enter the meadow- their voices barley registered in his mind as he tried to memorize her scent and voice all over again. She'd come back.

"You're here to stay?" he heard Miroku ask - amber eyes rolling at the way he exchanged a concerned glance with Sango - before the monk added pointedly, "Permanently of course. I pray this isn't a visit."

They never could leave well enough alone. Of _course_ she was here to stay. She wasn't _cruel_. She wouldn't...

"Don't worry. I'm here to stay," Kagome laughed giddily - brushing off the worried look in her friends' eyes as she rushed forward and embraced the slayer, "Oh! I'm so happy to see you. And...oh my _gosh_ is that a _baby_?! Aw..."

As he watched Kagome coo over the newborn, a warm feeling spread through Inuyasha's veins. Kagome really would make the best mother. When had he gotten so lucky? Most of his life had been a veritable hell and yet here she was. Returned to him safe and sound. Perfect in every way. So utterly and breathtakingly...

"...graduation," he heard Kagome explain to Sango excitedly as the slayer embraced her - answering a question the hanyou clearly missed, "And I made a wish and..."

The blissful feeling crashed and burned into unbridled panic.

"Wait, _what_?" InuYasha hissed as he rushed forward to grab her arm and began sniffing her for signs of injury, "You wished on the _**jewel**_?! I thought you got rid of the damn thing!"

"It wasn't _on_ the jewel," Kagome replied with a bemused smile as she watched him inspect her, "I didn't even say it aloud. It just happened."

"Maybe _that_ was your problem," Shippo teased as he hopped on Kagome's shoulder, "You didn't wish _hard_ enough InuYasha."

"Don't think for one _second_ that I _won't_ kill you Shippo," InuYasha snarled as he pointed an accusatory finger at the well, "Fucking thing didn't work. Tell them Kagome. How often did _you_ try?"

"To be honest I hadn't tried since a few months after the well closed," Kagome admitted sheepishly - missing the cringes of the slayer and monk. She _didn't_ miss the way Inuyasha's face fell and the slightly hurt look in his eyes.

"You hadn't been trying?" he asked quietly - no malice or anger in his tone. Just almost tangible heartbreak. She would've preferred it if he'd yelled.

"I just...I couldn't handle..." Kagome tried before cringing herself as Shippo chimed in with what he _thought_ was a helpful...

"Don't worry Kagome. InuYasha tried enough for the both of you. He tried _every_ three _days_," Shippo chimed in with an oblivious innocence only a child could achieve. The slayer and monk paled. The miko's heart sank.

"Doesn't matter," InuYasha cut in angrily- this twist to their the reunion ruining what should be the happiest day of his life, "She came back."

"InuYasha, I'm..." Kagome began softly as tears welled in the corner of her eyes.

"Don't you _dare_ apologize," he barked without any bite, "You came back. You've done enough. You've got _nothing_ to be sorry for."

Folding his arms tightly across his chest, he glared at Shippō and _wished_ looks could kill. If it wouldn't've pissed off Kagome, he _would've_ killed the brat. She didn't need to feel guilty about jack shit. She'd just given him the most wonderful gift in the world and he'd be damned before he let someone make her feel bad about it.

"InuYasha," Kagome tried again earning the reproachful glare that faded when she smiled and she held her arms out to him, "You're still too far away."

Smiling softly, he crossed the distance between them and embraced her - the slayer and monk exchanging a relieved and happy smile as he did so.

She'd come back.


	19. Monday, November 18th

_Continuation of Sunday__, November 3rd, 2019: Inuyasha Co_

_Continuation of Sunday, November 10th, 2019: Free Day_

_Continuation of Sunday, November 17th, 2019: Free Day_

Well they did say new experience...

What better experience is there to write about?

LEMON AHEAD.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Monday, November 18th, 2019**

**New Experience**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

InuYasha fidgeted nervously as Kagome followed him back to his...no _their_ hut. He'd was so unbelievingly excited that she'd come back to him. So utterly happy. After all, his wildest fantasy had come true. Okay maybe not _wildest_ but definitely his number one fantasy. And yet insecurity welled in his chest. He was terrified - and that was saying something - that one wrong move would send her running back to her world and out of his life forever.

It didn't matter - not _really_ \- that she hadn't been constantly trying to come back. Sure it stung knowing how religiously he had been trying these past three years but he knew from personal experience how much it hurt for the well to reject you. She was so soft-hearted that while he was initially hurt, he _completely_ understood her reluctance to experience that feeling for _years_. In the end, she'd left her world behind and come back _for_ him. Sacrificing _everything_ just to return. Which begged an even more important question. What _was_ she expecting? Should...should he go ahead and register with the headman? Proclaim them married and be done with it? Or should he wait until he was sure he was reading her intentions right? They'd never actually said they loved each other. That wasn't his way. He just _assumed_ she knew and assumed she felt the same. Her behavior today certainly suggested she still loved him but that she wanted to marry him _right away _was mighty presumptuous. _Especially_ seeing as how she hadn't been as devoted to well jumping as he had been. Maybe she needed time to adjust. To get to know him again and make sure she still loved him. Or maybe she...

Taking a shuddering breath, he slid open the door and watched her go in. Casting a glance back at their friends, he blushed slightly at the way Miroku was grinning at him with a disturbing twinkle in his eye. Why did the monk have to be so god damn perverted? Wasn't like anything was going to happen. Not today anyway. She just got back! And she was extremely modest and innocent and...and _perfect_. Kagome never did like to be rushed. He'd waited this long he could survive a little longer and he certainly wasn't going to do _anything_ that would make her regret coming back.

He let out another shaky, nervous breath and went in.

"So...so this is my hut," he mumbled as he rubbed his arm in an obvious show of nerves before he cleared his throat, "I know it's not much. The futon isn't new or nothing. I...I couldn't afford a new one but I...I can get a new one if you..."

He cringed at how that sounded - internally screaming about the fact he just implied he couldn't provide - while Kagome merely stared at a particular corner of the hut with tears welling in her eyes.

The reason he couldn't afford a new one was _blatantly_ apparent. A beautiful little chest sat in the corner and a small table sat next to it adorned with lovingly arranged relatively extravagant combs, essentials, feudal era make up and a jade plated bowl with matching pitcher. He'd spent all his money on things he thought she might like because he loved her, had waited for her and wanted her to be happy here with him.

"If you want," he finished nervously as he watched her take in the hut. His heart panging at the scent of her tears. Looking around himself, he felt a wave of insecurity wash over him. It was so much smaller than what she was used to. Barely larger than her bedroom and lacking the luxuries she had grown accustomed to in her world. He'd _tried_. God knows he tried. With Sango's help he'd even managed to buy enough cloth to make her a veritable wardrobe and had paid some village women to put it together - everything from miko garments to more casual wear. He'd bought perfumes and combs and everything he could think of that might make her happy. The only thing he _didn't_ think to do until this moment was build a bigger hut. It seemed like such an oversight. She probably _would_ be happier living...

Before he could finish that thought, Kagome launched herself at him and planted a long, lingering kiss on his lips effectively cutting him off. He couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped him as he returned the kiss almost viciously. Every fiber of his being ignited. Warmth pooling in his stomach as her hands fisted themselves in his hair. It could've been seconds or hours later, when she finally pulled away. A soft whine leaving his lips when she did so.

"I'm sorry you had to wait so long," she breathed as her fingers trailed down his neck.

"It's alright. You came back," he murmured affectionately as he gave her a warm, relieved smile, "I missed you. _So_ much."

Kagome looked so pleasantly surprised by his admission that it made his heart melt. Just yesterday he would've killed a man if it meant he'd get to see that smile again. He would've done _anything_...

"Let me make it up to you," Kagome suddenly murmured playfully - her expression anything but innocent, "Get on the futon. I have an idea I think you'll enjoy."

Amber eyes widened in anticipation. His mouth went dry and he swallowed thickly as fantasies he'd suppressed came to the forefront of his mind. This was the _last_ thing he expected. She...they might...were they going to...Was she...

If this was a dream, he was going to go insane and kill someone.

Maybe Shippo.

_Probably_ Shippo.

Whether it was a dream or not, he hastily complied as he watched her slowly, _sensually_ remove her cardigan. A choked gasp escaping him - his heart thundering in his chest - as she unzipped her dress and let it fall to the ground. His heart almost stopped as she paused - her fingers shaking slightly as she unsnapped her bra and let it slide off while she removed the last piece of clothing she donned. His eyes drank in the sight of her as he bit back a groan and he held up a single hand with the full intent of dragging her against him once she accepted.

Except she didn't accept it. Instead she knelt before him. Her hands gently undoing the ties that kept his own clothes together and damn it all if he didn't almost rip the fire rat off his body. However the hell she wanted to do this was _fine_ by him and he was all happy to assist. Her fingertips glided down his newly exposed chest to his quivering stomach - which, to be honest, almost made this encounter end a little too soon. Another shaky breath escaped his lips as she gently hooked a few fingers under the edge of his fundoishi and exposed him to her hungry gaze.

"I love..." he began to whisper hoarsely when she suddenly leaned forward and her lips brushed against his fully erect member. Her oh so talented tongue sweeping across the tip. Shudders wracked his body.

"_Oh god yes_," he panted heavily as she continued this torture before biting his lip and moaning when her tongue swept over him just right, "_I...__ah__...fuck... I love you. I love...__mmmm__..."_

Digging his heel into the futon, his hips tried to match her tempo - thrusting up modestly to signal what he truly wanted every time her warm talented tongue teased him. Every sensual lick almost torture. If she didn't do more soon he was going to go mad from unfulfilled longing. As it was he was so hard it was almost painful. He needed...needed...

A single hand flew up to grip the material behind him as he tried to maintain some semblance of control.

Looking up, the miko gave him a soft smile as her heart melted. It may have been lost on him that he'd just told her - for the first time ever - that he loved her. It wasn't, however, lost on _Kagome_.

As she watched his reaction, her warm smile morphed into a wicked grin. Without warning, she engulfed him in her mouth making him cry out in pure bliss. Her head bobbed up and down. Her tongue licking and swirling until his eyes crossed. His body writhed as he bit his lip and his ears pinned back in pleasure.

_"I love you..."_ he moaned softly before whimpering and fisting both hands into the futon when she picked up the tempo, "_Ah...just...mmmm._..._just like...like...__wait._.._oh fuck. Oh fuck. Shit. Kag..Kagome...ah...st...stop I'm...I'm.."_

His breath began coming out in short pants as Kagome seemed to take his words as a challenge and doubled her efforts.

"_I'm_..." he panted heavily - trailing with a soft cry as his whole body arched towards her in blissful agony.

And he came. His eyes clenching shut and his mouth falling open in a silent scream as his climax washed through him. His dick twitching and throbbing into her mouth as she drank him. Whimpering softly as he came down from his high, he rubbed his cheek against the soft fabric beside his head and a silly, sated grin played on his lips.

"_Holy shit_..." he panted as he fought to catch his breath - trying to stave off the sudden urge to pass out. Groggily, he opened his eyes just enough to look at her before they opened fully in pleasant surprise. A moan escaped his lips as it registered that Kagome was still working him - trying to bring his staff back to full attention which she succeeded in doing in no time at all. His body writhed under the continued attention. Another whimper escaped his throat.

"_I...I love you..__._," he managed to breathe as his head fell back against the futon and his hips rocked in time. After three god damn years he was gunna say those words whenever and however he wanted. He'd waited long enough and he didn't feel like waiting to hear her say it first. Especially after _that_. Still, despite how utterly mind blowing this experience had been, it was also somewhat disappointing. It wasn't what he was _expecting -_mind blowing and wonderful though it may be. It wasn't what he...

"I love you too," Kagome cooed after she finally pulled back and took in the hanyou's flushed face. He laughed shakily and lolled his head to give her a lazy, satisfied grin.

It was official. This was the best _fucking_ day of his life.

Exhaling shakily, he propped himself up on his forearms and took a moment to memorize her nude form. She was perfect. Better than he ever remembered - not that he ever got a really good look. He had tried - god had he tried - to burn her body to memory during the quest only to fail at every turn and yet here she was expecting, wanting him to look at her to his heart's content. He grinned before a michevious look graced his features. Fluidly sitting up, he playfully pushed her down onto her back - chuckling at her gasp of surprise. Inuyasha crawled over her body, settling himself into position before lowering himself flush against her and placing a passionate kiss onto her lips. Their tongues battled for dominance as he rocked his hips against her - wanting this encounter to last as long as possible. He was already so far gone he'd probably blow the second he joined with her. He smiled lopsidedly at the thought.

It was that same thought, though, that made him pull back and trail long lingering kisses down her neck. Dragging his fingertips over that flawless skin as his lips followed close behind. Glancing up at her, he smirked before gently taking a nipple into his mouth - groaning himself at the way she mewled under the attention. Kagome inhaled sharply as the fingertips that had been trailing down her body finally reached their intended destination and teased the folds of her moist slit.

Whimpering, her hips shifted and her toes curled when he tenatively dipped one finger inside her - never stopping his attentions to her breast even though Inuyasha's eyes rolled back at the sensation and pressed his forehead atop her supple skin.

A wicked idea crossed his mind as the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. If he enjoyed her mouth, he had no doubt that she would enjoy the same thing. He definitely wouldn't be as skilled as she...she...

He stilled his hand and his face fell as an evil thought crossed his mind. One that hadn't dawned on him until this exact moment. Where the hell _had_ she learned how to do that? It didn't seem like something she should know even _existed_. She'd seemed so confident, so...so _experienced_.

Oh _shit_.

His heart plummeted to the bottom of his stomach as a thousand ugly thoughts flew through his mind. Could it be that she had been with someone else during the time she was away? Was that the _real_ reason she hadn't been trying the well? He sniffed once to see if he could confirm it without asking. If he accused her of such a thing, she might get offended and leave him. He couldn't give her a reason to leave him. Still, it didn't bring him the relief he wanted when he smelled nothing except for himself and her.

It had been three years though. More even. If she had done this before, which surely she had to of, if it was long enough ago he wouldn't be able to smell it.

His heart broke a little as he tried to warp something positive out of this realization.

But he...he shouldn't care, right? It wasn't...it wasn't like he wanted her to be miserable all that time like he had been. Maybe he should even be thanking this random stranger for taking care of her?

The thought almost tasted bitter on his tongue as his heart broke a little more.

Besides she _had_ come back. Whoever the guy had been, in the end she had chosen to return. And...and it had been _amazing_ so he wasn't _complaining_ about what she'd done to his body. So...so maybe experience was a _good_ thing? Her time was different too so maybe _everyone_ did things like this all the time and it wasn't a big deal. Just because _he'd_ never...oh _god_ what if he was _bad_ at this? Would she leave him then?

InuYasha panicked.

He probably _was_ going to be bad at this. Would she really leave him over that? He'd be alone. Oh god she was going to leave him. He'd never done anything like this. Now that he thought about it he didn't even know where to _start. _She was gunna leave him. And...and Sango and Miroku were human. They'd die one day so it wasn't like he couldn't count on them to be around forever. He'd be alone. He was going to be bad at this. She would leave him. She was probably expecting him to do things he hadn't even heard of! If she was experienced as he thought she had to be, he was probably going to fuck this up in every way. How would he survive losing her again? He'd be alone like he'd been all his life. He couldn't go back...couldn't live like..couldn't...couldn't...

His breath began to come out in short panicked gasps as he felt Kagome's body tense beneath him. Her voice whispering his name not even registering in his racing mind.

She was going to leave him. What if he wasn't good enough? Of course he wasn't good enough. He never had been. He was going to end up alone. All alone.

"InuYasha, are you okay?" Kagome asked as she tried to sit up and used one hand to pry his face away from her so she could try to see what was going through his mind.

Letting out a long calming breath, he tried to tell himself it would be okay. That he was overreacting. All he needed to do was think of a way to ask her to _show_ him what she liked instead of whinging it. Easy enough, right? She'd understand why someone like him didn't know what to do and that way, if she was used to doing things like this, he could at least make sure this was pleasurable and then she'd stay with him. After all, sex itself wasn't going to be great. It was guaran-fucking-teed he'd be bad at _that_. He hadn't lasted very long when she'd done what she just did. Maybe a few minutes. Less even? He had _just_ been thinking he wasn't going to last long when they did...oh fuck, did men last _longer_ in her time? Did she judge him? Would she leave him over something like that? Had he _already_ fucked up and she was too nice to say anything?

His short gasps increased as he went into a full blown panic attack. It didn't even occur to him it was happening. The thought of having to go through the agony of losing her _permenantly_ clouding his mind and sending it into a near flatline.

"InuYasha, look at me," Kagome ordered softly as she cupped his chin and finally succeeded in getting him to look up. She saw the fear and panic in his gaze which confused her immensely as only seconds ago he looked so confident.

"I love you but you need to calm down," she murmured as she ran her thumb across his cheek before it clicked why Sango and Miroku had seemed so concerned when she first arrived. It hadn't been concern for _her_, "You're okay. I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere."

Her words had the opposite effect of what she had hoped as his chest continued to heave erratically and his ears twitched in time with his racing pulse.

'_Is this how he's been for three years?'_ Kagome thought miserably. No wonder he had been trying the well every three days. She had always assumed she would be the one who loved him more but she was _clearly_ wrong. Their separation hadn't broken her, per se, but it obviously had done some _serious_ damage to him.

"Hey," she whispered affectionately - her thumb still stroking his cheek, "We can stop if you want. It's okay."

She cringed when she saw his eyes widened further and his ears twitched at an even faster pace.

The ugly thoughts continued on loop despite her words. Of course she didn't want to fuck him. Why would she _want_ to be _disappointed_? He never did deserve someone like her. Oh god, he never had been nice to her, had he? Why the fuck did she even love him?! Maybe he could fix this. Yeah, he could fix it. He could fix this if he was able to...to...maybe she'd forget he was an awful bastard and...and...

His mind scrambled to find a way to ask how to pleasure her subtly but instead blurted out for god knows what reason, "Are you a virgin?"

"What?" Kagome laughed softly as she gave him a strange look - was _that_ what he was so worked up about? - before continuing while giving him an affectionate smile, "Why would you even ask that? Of course I am. Aren't _you_?"

An oddly relieved smile grew on his face and he visibly relaxed before he shrugged sheepishly and pushed himself up to place a kiss of her lips.

"I..." he began as his fears melted away and his erratic heartbeat slowed before the words were stolen from his throat. A choked gasp escaping in their stead.

He shouldn't've moved.

Two sets of eyes widened as his movement caused him to ever so casually slide inside her. Amber eyes fluttered shut as he bit his lip and he came to a decision right then and there. Without warning, he thrust his hips forward roughly - effectively managing to sheath himself completely.

"Well I was," Inuysha finally managed to reply shakily to her earlier question as he gave her a playful grin, "But I guess I'm not now."

Snorting softly, Kagome opened her mouth to reply before she gasped when he retracted his hips and thrust into her more forcefully than before. Gaining momentum, he gathered her body to him as he moved desperately inside her - loving the way she moaned and brokenly cried out his name. His movements becoming more and more erratic before his jaw once again dropped in a silent scream that ended with a soft cry. Collapsing on top of her, he nuzzled the side of her neck and hummed contentedly.

"_That was..._," he panted softly as he pushed himself up on one forearm to grin down at her. A clawed hand cupping her cheek as he swallowed and tried again, "_I love you. So much."_

Laughing happily, Kagome repeated the sentiment as he muscled there strength to pull away from her - collapsing onto his side as he looked at her adoringly. The next few hours passed in the same fashion as they became acquainted with one another. As the sun set, they lay side by side - panting and sweaty.

Amber eyes closed as blissful exhaustion swept through him. The corners of his lips twitching upwards as InuYasha finally found his voice.

"Don't leave me like that again," he commanded softly.

He felt all remaining tension leak from his body as her reply soothed the lingering aches in his heart.

"Never."


	20. Tuesday, November 19th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Tuesday, November 19th, 2019**

** LGBTQ**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Far be it for me to judge anyone for things outside their control. Life is hard enough. Mankind is cruel enough. I don't wanna be like the bastards that have made my life hell. Was I surprised? Yeah. Really didn't see that one coming. Am I going to _abandon_ my friends just because they found love in each other? _No_. I'm not a _monster_.

What I will do though is beat the ever loving shit out of the monk when he tries to spy on them.

Speaking of which...


	21. Wednesday, November 20th

_A/N: I'm going out of town so I'll be posting through Friday today. They're going to be short._

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Wednesday, November 20th, 2019: **

**Friendship**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Someone who will be there when times get rough...

Who will be there when times are good...

Someone who understands your past...

Who understands your pain...

Someone who believes in your future...

Who believes in _you_...

Someone who accepts you just as you are...

Who doesn't ask you to change...

All of that and one thing more...

Someone who brings you ramen when you ask for it.


	22. Thursday, November 21st

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Thursday, November 21st, 2019: **

**Memories**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

For the one who gave me life when I had none...

For the one who stayed when I needed her most...

For the one I swore to protect with my life...

For the one who came back when all hope was lost...

For the one who left and never returned...

I will never give up...

I will never surrender...

I will never forget...

Thought it hurts to remember...

The one who I loved the most...


	23. Friday, November 22nd

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Friday, November 22nd, 2019**

**Day After Tomorrow**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

Gently dragging his claws back and forth across her stomach - with the lightest of pressure - Inuyasha hummed happily and nuzzled into the side of Kagome's neck. A dopey smile playing on his lips as he listened to the steady rhythm of her breathing that signaled she was asleep. In that moment, sharing a warm bed with the most beautiful woman, his body flush against her with his arm draped lazily across her waist, he wondered how he could be so lucky.


	24. Saturday, November 23rd

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Saturday, November 23rd, 2019**

**AU**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

I see those amber eyes in the dark. See a boomerang soaring through the sky. I see a man with a hole in his hand - the wind from within sucking up everything on the ground into a void. It goes nowhere. Nowhere! Don't you see? Can't you see them? The pretty little jewel I found in mother's sewing box. It glows. I swear it glows. It had special powers. Can grant any wish. I wear it always. They help protect it, don't you see? The tree outside! It's always been there. I can use it to talk to them. They're not here right now. They're the past. That's...that's why you can't see them. It must be because they're in the past. Five hundred years to be exact. Exactly five hundred years. I know, you see. I know. I've figured it out. I feel into the well around the time I began to see them. I must have gone through time! I must've. There was a blue light and they appeared. We go on adventures. That's what I can't go to school anymore. The adventures. Yes. Yes. That's it. The adventures we go on. We fight the mean spider man. He wants my glowing jewel. Wants it for himself. Everyone wants it. It's very precious. Very powerful. I protect it. They help. The silver haired one. I love him but he loves another. A girl who looks exactly like me! Another girl who is dead inside and quite frankly has lost her mind. She tried to kill him. Why I'm not really sure. She loved him once. A long time ago. She didn't like his ears. I love his ears. Don't you know he's not like you and I. He's a...a half-demon! You seen on our adventures we fight the demons. Yes the demons. They're real. I've seen them! I know! The demons. Like the evil spider man. He's the worst of them all...

Laughing, Kagome continued manically as her mother and the doctor watched on. She paced the small hospital room as she had for hours and clutched a small pink bead to her chest.


	25. Sunday, November 24th

Save it. I know it's out of character. I don't care.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sunday, November 24th, 2019

Myth/Legend AU

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Darkness enveloped her. Water closing in all around. The coldness she had felt upon entering the water completely gone. A desperate hot wave came over her, warming even her frosted toes. Her heart beat rapidly in panic. The urgency for sir more apparent than ever.

And then she knew no more.

The townspeople first noticed something was amiss when the husband - an older gentleman of rude manners and violent tendencies - went missing. At first they assumed he had fled the town with his mistress leaving his wife and two children behind. Except there was no sign of the children. No sign of the wife.

Worry grew only to be replaced with sadness when the children's' bodies washed up on the shore. The woman and her husband never were seen again.

For a time at least.

They called the phantom skimming over the water La Llorona. Heard her crying for the children she had lost...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

_One year earlier.._..

"I'm sorry," an amber eyed man sighed heavily as he averted his eyes, "I just can't do this anymore. You and I both know this isn't working."

"So...so that's it? You're leaving me for that...that _child_?" an ebony haired woman asked bitterly as hate and grief worked into her soul. After a moment, as the shock wore off, cold unbridled hatred took its place, "How could you do it? Betray us like that?"

"You've done the same thing," her husband pointed out as he gave her a patient look, "_You've_ been sneaking around for years now. Far longer than I have. Tell me, how _is_ Naraku doing? I haven't seen him lately. Did he move on to greener pastures?"

"I never did anything with him," Kikyo hissed as her cheeks flushed pink, "I was helping him recover from his injuries."

"His injuries must have been quite severe," InuYasha clipped back before shaking his head and getting to his feet, "I'm not staying here. I'll send money for you and the children. I'll even take them for..."

"You will _never_ take them away from me," his wife snapped angrily, "I'd rather die."

For a moment, Inuyasha looked concerned and glanced at the small staircase as though considering something. What Kikyo couldn't be sure.

"I would never take them from you," he murmured softly, "I simply meant to visit."

"Sure you did," Kikyo laughed somewhat manically - a half-crazed look in her eye, "Go. Just go. I see what you're doing. You think I'm _unfit_. You think..."

"Calm down," InuYasha ordered cautiously - his wife had never been very stable. He had purposefully driven away the rest of the town in an attempt to keep her mental state under wraps. In truth, he had been considering taking the children with him but perhaps it would be best to leave them for the night and come back in the morning to discuss it further.

"Get out," Kikyo ordered softly - her tone thick with malice and something else he couldn't quite identify.

He complied. It was later that same night that Kikyo took the children to the river.

"But It's _cold_," one of the children whined as she rubbed her one good eye and yawned.

"It'll help you wake up," her mother promised in a detached tone. As the children begrudgingly entered the water, Kikyo cast one look around the village before pushing their little heads into the water and waiting until their frantic struggles ceased.

He was going to take them away from her anyway.

She knew him too well.

And if she couldn't have them, no one could.

The next morning InuYasha arrived at the house ready to fight to take his children with him if need be before realizing he was too late. The children's beds were empty. The fire had long since gone out. With a shuddering sigh, he turned and left with hurried purpose to find them.

He spent the rest of his life searching.

As did she.

Only one of them knew the truth.

La Llorona.


	26. Monday, November 25th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Monday, November 25th, 2019**

**Horror/Zombie AU**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

This is entry 744. To whoever is still out there, I wish I had better news. There's only five of us now. We lost one more last week. We found some of those records we were looking for last I broadcasted. They think it started as a virus. The dead aren't really dead but infected. We must have some kind of immunity. The survivors I mean. Or we're just late bloomers and we could lose our minds any day now. One of ours has been getting those purple bruises on his cheeks and his eyes are getting red. We've been keeping an eye on it but I know it's just...

...

We're going to check a few other facilities around Tokyo. If anyone is listening, feel free to seek us out. We're going to try to find a cure. If there is one anyway.

Until next time. Stay strong. Stay diligent. If we're still alive, there is still hope.


	27. Tuesday, November 26th

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tuesday, November 26th, 2019

Soulmate AU

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He recognized her instantly. Felt a pull so strong he couldn't stop himself. He had muscled his way through the crowded subway car and arrived just in time to see her get off onto the platform.

He saw her the next day when he served a vanilla latte with whip. He tried to speak with her but missed his opportunity. Damn the morning rush. She was long gone by the time he took his break.

It was a month later, when he sat down in the middle of his history of medieval Japan course for the first time, that he saw her again and this time she saw him too.

There is no accidental meeting of souls.


	28. Wednesday, November 27th

_A/N: forgive my grammar and that it's not really an AU and that its lazy. I sing this to my baby and I was like eh._

_Remember Me - Coco_

_From Kikyo's perspective to Inuyasha_

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Wednesday, November 27th, 2019**

**Disney AU **

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

Recuérdame

¿Te dolió, mi amor?

Recuérdame

No llores por favor

Llévame en tu corazón y siempre voy a ti

A solas me esperas en regresar

Recuérdame

Aunque tenga que esperar

Recuérdame

Por siempre te he amado

Por siempre voy a rezar que te encontraré 

Hasta que en mis brazos tú estés 

Recuérdame


	29. Thursday, November 28th

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Thursday, November 28th, 2019**

**Modern AU**

**XXXXXXXXXXXX**

"Sometimes I just wish I was normal, ya know?"

"You wanna be a _basic bitch_? Boy bye."

"Bitch what the..."

That day marked the end of the relationship between Kikyo and InuYasha. Nothing bad happened..._unless_ you count the fact they were millennials in the U.S. around 2014. Five years later he met a girl named Kagome. He made sure to post pictures of them on his Instagram _constantly_ just to rub Kikyo's still _single_ face in it because _'fuck you_'. This bothered Kagome far more than it ever did his ex.

The End.


	30. Friday, November 29th

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**Friday, November 29th, 2019**

**Saturday, November 30th, 2019**

**Selfie**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

_I present to you, to the tune of "I Want It That Way" by the Backstreet Boys, the following clusterfuck:_

xxx

Way back in 6th grade

Real Late on Weekdays

Show airs at midnight

I love this anime.

xxx

Two souls are two worlds apart

Sing loud to Every Heart

Don't know what they say

But I love this anime.

xxx

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but some jewel shards.

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but fucked up teens.

Tell me why

You are gunna hear me say

I love this anime.

xxx

Is she, his fire?

His one, desire

Twenty years on replay

Oh I love this anime.

xxx

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but some jewel shards.

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but fucked up teens.

Tell me why

You are gunna hear me say

I love this anime.

xxx

Now every night I spend hours online

Writing fanfiction all the time, yeah

Sometimes I fail but

I want you to know

That I do the best I can!

xxx

She is his fire

His one desire

She is (s_he is, she is, she is_)

xxxx

Thank god for Hulu! _Say_

Steaming is the best thing

Husband complains every day

(_Complains every day_)

Hates when I say

I love this anime.

xxx

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but some jewel shards.

Tell me why

Ain't nothin' but fucked up teens.

Tell me why

You are gunna hear me say

I love this anime.

'Cause I love this anime.


End file.
